Ame
by garden rain
Summary: My name is Ayato Hiromi...she was placed in Obito's time period. She apologizes in advance for screwing up the plot.
1. Beginning

My name is Ayato Hiromi.

That wasn't always my name, but that hardly matters now.

So you know the thing. Dies unoriginally and gets reincarnated into the world of Naruto, blah blah blah.

So, basically, I woke up to a lullaby. The irony. I couldn't see anything, but I heard a lovely voice singing something, probably in Japanese, since I watched a shit ton of anime and still only knew basic phrases and swears.

So, being a person who generally went with the flow, I just fell asleep.

~Some time later~

I was a healthy little baby girl named Hiromi, which, from the good amount of Japanese I learned, meant 'generous beauty'. Sky-high expectations.

I learned my parents were shinobi, and they expected me to be one as well. My mother had nice snow-white hair with dark eyes, and my father has curly blue hair with blue eyes. I had my father's eyes and my mother's hair, with a streak of blue.

Genetics. Sigh.

I had only learned to crawl and babble like the little baby I was, shaking a rattle and hugging a stuffed tiger. But my father was rarely home, and my mother seemed to always be on edge.

The first word I'd ever said was, 'kaa-chan', which made her very happy. When I learned to talk fluently, I still didn't say much. Hey, speaking is an option.

"Kaa-chan?"

"Yes, Hiromi-chan?"

"Why is tou-chan never home?"

She paused, then went back to drying the dishes. "Your tou-chan is a shinobi. This is a time of war, so he must fight."

I nodded. "For everybody's safety?"

Kaa-chan smiled at me. "Correct. Would you like to be a kunoichi, Hiromi?"

I nodded and went back to my stuffed animals.

I noticed that sometimes, my mother whispered to my father while glancing at me. Sometimes when I called her 'kaa-chan', she'd stiffen. She'd say, "Yes, Hiromi?" Instead of Hiromi-chan.

It was almost as if she were _afraid_ of me. Her own two-year-old daughter, who was perfectly adorable, the best child in the world.

When my father _was_ home, he'd be too tired to do much past a "Hey, Hiromi," and stumble into his room. Kaa-chan would bring food to his room and whisper real quiet, like I couldn't catch glimpses of the conversation, enough to know they were talking about me.

When my mother was tending to the garden or cooking or whatever, I was teaching myself to read and write. We had quite a few books, and scrolls about our village's history. After seeing the 'God of Shinobi' and and the Uchiha clan, it was pretty obvious I was in Konoha.

Sigh. Troublesome. Why wasn't I in the Nara clan; I'm as lazy as them anyways.

"Kaa-chan?"

My mom, Sorano, stiffened. "Y-yes, Hiromi-san?"

That _totally_ didn't hurt.

"When will the war end?"

She had a pained looked in her brown eyes as she glanced down at me briefly. "W-well, that hasn't been decided. M-maybe if one village overpowers the rest…."

So, my mother was terrified of her quiet, nerdy daughter, and my father was too busy bleeding to notice anything wrong.

Hooray.

So, two years passed like this. When I turned three, I was taught many different genjutsus, which seemed to be my mother's specialty before she had me and retired. She mentioned that my father was a kenjutsu master and was well respected among his companions. I didn't plan on following in his footsteps; learning to use a katana would be troublesome.

So I was guessing I'd be more like Kurenai; a genjutsu user.

Close enough. Kurenai-sensei was pretty.

My father sometimes had a day or two off to heal his injuries, like a broken arm or something. Didn't know much about the human body. I remember one particular day when my father brought home a basket.

"What's that, tou-chan?" I asked innocently, like a three-year-old should do.

"Bunnies." He took off the lid, revealing some rabbits.

"Are we getting pets?" My eyes lit up.

"You're killing them."

I froze. _Nonononono not the good ol' killing fluffy creatures…..I feel guilty slapping a damn mosquito for Kami/Jashin/Pein's sake….._

So the rest of the day was wasted on killing several rabbits, and then I skipped dinner and went to bed early and had dreams of being haunted by rabbits.

Don't blame me for being paranoid.

Then there was another time in the woods where I discovered I'd inherited my father's unique bloodline limit. Not as cool as the Byakugan or Sharingan, but still unique.

We were just walking in the woods, learning about tracking and fighting in the foliage, we were ambushed by some Kirigakure ninja. Just two.

Dad growled. "This is pretty deep within the border, don't you agree?"

One of them grinned. "We've got the upper hand. One shinobi and a child."

My father whipped out his katana and engaged them, while I stood there like the useless little girl that I was. And I could tell his ankle pains were slowing him down, a _lot._

The brunette used a fireball jutsu, which tou-chan narrowly dodged. His clothes were lightly singed.

I wasn't really thinking. An instinct told me to rush forward and stupidly bite the green-haired one's arm.

"Ow! The little bitch!" He flung me off easily.

 _Water element._ Those two words flew through my head. It was like I was in a trance. Like those times when your mind has no clue what you're doing, but your body remembered.

"Suiton: Wild Water Wave!" The water that I shot out of my mouth seemed to take down the shinobi, _bam,_ in one shot. Tou-chan's eyes widened. " _Hiromi!"_

I passed out.

* * *

~Two days later~

When I came to, I was in my room, and not at the hospital. I blinked and then sat up quickly. "What?"

I struggled out of bed and butt-scooted down the stairs, then stopped when I heard my parents talking.

"-too much for her to bear!"

"Hideki, she deserves to know. She's clearly a prodigy-"

"My mother had the same!" Tou-chan's voice was wavering. "She was murdered by her own village!"

"Because they were retarded, darling. Hiromi-chan will be peachy." _That's_ where I got my sarcasm from…

"Sorano, I'm not joking. It's too much stress. Prodigy or not, if the Hokage finds out, she'll be sent to the _damn front lines!_ She's a _child!"_

"Hideki. I'm saying we should just tell her, so she can learn to defend herself with it. She won't be using it anytime soon."

"...Fine."

I loudly thumped down the rest of the steps, yawning. "Good morning."

"Hiromi!" Mom was surprised. "You're awake!"

I walked over to them, where tou-chan set me on his lap. "Let's talk about what you did to save us in the woods, before you passed out."

"Your tou-san say you used a water technique," Mom started. "But your chakra element is water, like your father."

"I'm guessing you felt obliged to do that after you bit the man?" Tou-chan glanced down at me. I nodded.

He sighed. "So that's it….."

"Your grandmother had your bloodline limit as well," Mom explained. "It was a randomized ability. Through one of your five senses, you can copy your opponent's techniques. Now, don't go thinking this is like the Sharingan. This is only temporary; as long as you can hold up. It seemed like all the chakra exercises and the kunai aiming helped, since your father said you channeled up a huge jet-powered stream of water and hit the two opponents straight in the chest."

"Your sense would be taste." Tou-chan seemed pained. "Your grandmother had hearing."

"Do you have it, tou-chan?" I looked up at him innocently.

"I have the sense of touch," he explained. "That's why I always try to get in close, so I can touch them and then use their own jutsus against them."

"Even other kekkei genkais?"

"That's the beauty of this kekkei genkai, Hiromi." Kaa-chan whistled. "But with taste, you'll have to give 'em a kiss or something."

"I forbid you to do it with boys," Tou-chan immediately said.

I yawned. "Too troublesome anyways."

"This is why I said she could be in the Nara clan," Mom shrugged.

The whole 'taste to use their jutsus' thing was stressing me out. And they said to not let anyone know, huh.

I'll never use it anyways. I'll be safe, even in this time of war, as long as I stay in Konoha…..

Wait, _Third_ Shinobi World War?

I was seriously reconsidering my choice to be like my father. Protect the village? You can rebuild it. I'd like to think lives are more important.

Then, drumroll, the sad thing happened.

My father died.

Spine disease or something. After a week in the hospital, even though he gave me smiles, assured me he'd be fine, told me jokes, he fucking _died._

Funeral was huge. Apparently he'd made a big impression on people.

Mom and I picked lilies. They were his favorite flower. Everyone had white ones, but I had gotten a blue one. Blue was our favorite color. It was our _thing_.

Mom went first, then me, then his teammates, then some strangers. It looked like the entire village gathered here on this dark and cloudy day.

After that, kaa-chan stopped talking to me unless necessary. She kept up a strong cover for me and the village, but she got thinner and thinner, and it seemed she only ate when her friends forced her. I took to training by myself, even though I was only three, I had to try ninjutsu since I couldn't use genjutsu by myself.

I also found out I _sucked_ at ninjutsu. Probably the whole thing with me being reborn, therefore having twice as much spiritual energy than I had physical energy, and ninjutsu used physical energy blah blah blah.

But I had to become a ninja, so I could protect my mother, so she wouldn't end up like tou-chan. Even though she treated me like an outsider, not like her daughter...not that she was exactly _kind_ before.

* * *

~Academy~

When I turned four, I was sent off to the academy. I knew normal registration ages were five or six, but this was a time of war, so we needed new shinobi. And fast.

My first day at the academy started out with attendance. I had plopped down next to an Aburame and was ready to sleep through class when a certain name was called.

"Hatake Kakashi."

"Present."

I jerked awake, wildly swinging my head around. Kakashi-sensei, with his signature mask, was sitting all the way in the back, looking like the prodigy he was.

Yikes. I feel you, Obito.

Then some unimportant people like me were called, and then...drumroll…..

"Nohara Rin."

"Present!"

I saw Rin, in all her five-year-old cuteness, sitting a row in front of me. _Omigosh she's still so kawaii-_

"Uchiha Obito."

"Right here!" He shouted, raising his hand.

So, Uchiha Obito, Hatake Kakashi, and kawaii chibi Nohara Rin.

Minato's team 7.

Sigh.

The lesson went on, and I paid attention to none of it. I'd be using none of it anyways. Nobody cares about the best angle to throw a kunai or shuriken. In battle, if we did this, we'd die.

Then came the practical lessons.

When Kakashi's turn came, naturally, all the guys glared at him as all the girls, well, fangirled. "KYAA, KAKASHI-KUN, DO YOUR BEST!"

Then when he was perfect like the genius he was, the girls screamed even louder.

Cue jealous glares and Obito in denial that Rin could not _possibly_ like Kakashi.

These people are driving me crazy. When Kakashi rolled his eyes and did his thing, the screams got louder. Obito looked really angry at Kakashi for being awesome.

 _Nobody blames you, Obito._

So after the practical exercises were over, we went back to class and learned about basic medicine. Mom seemed to be a medic before, since there were so many herbs in the garden and many scrolls about the specific herbs that'd put you to sleep, soothe pain, and make you throw up and roll off a cliff.

I memorized them.

Yes. I am a genius. _Thank_ you, endless empty hours with nothing to do.

I asked many questions and received answers, and quickly took note of them. _Foxglove leaves cause confusion, depression, nausea, drowsiness, stomach pain…_

 _Wowsies._

As I stepped out the door, ready to go home, I started walking, when a little voice called out to me.

"W-wait!" I stopped and looked around, wondering who it was.

Chibi Rin caught up to me, panting heavily. "I'm…..I'm Rin!" She bounced up with energy. "Nohara Rin? What was _your_ name?"

"I'm….Hiromi. Akiyama Hiromi." I said quietly.

"You seemed really bored….but then you asked so many questions when they taught about herbs! And you seemed to know a lot…...do you want to be a medic?"

I paused. _Medic? And focus on healing people rather than fighting…_

 _Nah. HASHIRAMA I REGRET NOTHING_

 _Whew._

"No," I said. "I want to fight."

"Wow….you're so cool!" Rin smiled. "Wanna be friends?"

I wasn't sure whether to trust her or not. I was sure she was a sweet girl, but she was a _human._ Friends stabbed each other in the back and used each other.

But Rin was _five,_ Kami's sake.

"Sure," I nodded.

She beamed. "Yay! Maybe you could teach me a little about herbs?"

I nodded slowly. "But we'd have to go to _your_ house. Okaa-san….doesn't like visitors. She….doesn't like cleaning."

Rin giggled cutely. "Okay...does tomorrow work? You need to ask your mom, right?"

"Yes, sure." _She wouldn't, couldn't give less shits about me._

"Bye, Hiro-chan!" She waved and ran off. I turned my head and saw Obito crouching behind a wall, stalking us.

 _Yay._

I ignored him and just headed home.

Emotions are troublesome things. I should just join Root.

Nahhhhhh.


	2. Ninken

I got home and quietly shut the door. I slid off my shoes and crept past my mother's room….she hardly ever got out these days, unless her friends dragged her out, but I knew her previous teammates were on a week-long mission and would not be back for another three days. I was learning chakra control from my mother's old teammate, Takeo. He tried to fill in for my father, but for my mother, it didn't work. Seemed like she was really in love with dad.

Bluck. Romance. Seems troublesome.

I slid open the door to my room and closed it. I crawled under the covers of my futon and sighed.

This was always my time to remember the past, about tou-chan. I blamed myself as much as okaa-san blamed herself. She loved him, but then he disappeared. She relied on him, but then he went away.

She secluded herself. I admit; I was angry at my mom. She left me to fend on my own, entrusting me to Takeo-san. He and Kaori cared for me, making sure I stayed healthy.

I groaned. "Why do I need to go through this?"

After doing nothing for a while, I slipped into my gray sweater and went outside. The air was dry, and a cool breeze blew in from the north. Everyone seemed generally happy, and nobody questioned a 91cm girl walking through busy streets by herself.

It was okay. I was used to being unseen.

The sky matched my dark mood. After a while, it began raining. I put my hood up, even though I was already drenched, and sat down in an alleyway. This is just like tou-chan's funeral…..

My mood just got darker and darker as the sky turned black with night, and the thunder started. I never moved, just hugging my knees and mourning in silence. Then I heard a little whimper.

I lifted my head up from my stomach and glanced around tiredly.

It was a puppy, whimpering and slowly approaching me. It was drenched, and his tail were between his legs. He rubbed against my leg.

"Cold?" I picked him up, a dull look in my eyes. "Do you have anywhere to return to, koinu?"

He jumped from my grasp and snuggled into my chest. I smoothed down his wet fur. "Anywhere to hide?"

He whimpered.

"Do you have anyone you trust to bring you warmth?"

He snuggled into my chest.

"Maybe you're all alone…" Like me.

I picked him up and ran home, throwing off my shoes and tracking water through the house. I started the bath and put the puppy in. He gave a little yelp at first, but the he relaxed.

"Cute little puppy," I mused. "Are you still cold?"

He gulped. "My name's Arashi! Nice to meet you…?"

"Hiromi."

"Nice to meet you, Hiromi-san! Thanks for saving me!"

"You're welcome. You can talk?"

"I'm a ninken in training!" He bragged. "I'm from the Inuzuka clan. My teammate is Aki!"

I looked out the window. The rain pattered down on the roof. "We'll give you to him tomorrow. It hasn't stopped raining yet….."

"Okay!" Arashi showed off his sharp teeth.

I found myself with a tiny, tiny smile.

* * *

~Next day~

I was walking to school when I got tackled by Rin. "Good morning, Hiro-chan!"

"Good morning, Rin." I pried her off me. "You're energetic, even in the mornings."

"It's always great to see a friend!" She beamed and helped me to my feet.

Friend.

"Yeah." I walked with her to class.

Today we had taijutsu practice. Hooray. I dominated that field.

….And then I saw Kakashi. Who kicked someone's ass pretty damn quickly.

My match begun, and the guy looked really nervous. He was a little taller than me, and he was a clan kid, but let's just be honest here.

I'm fabulous. I knocked his ass into the ground before anybody even noticed.

He groaned in pain as I sat on top of him. "Ow…"

"Too fast," I chided. "You suck at taijutsu."

"I've been studying ninjutsu!" He protested. "And I was distracted, since I lost my ninken the other day…."

"Arashi?"

He jumped up. "How'd you know?"

"I picked him up from the rain yesterday."

He looked guilty. "Oh."

I helped him to his feet. "I'll show you….after you beat me."

His eyes lit up and he grinned, showing off his sharp teeth. "I can still keep going!"

So we did that. And I kicked his ass over and over, but he always got back up and kept going.

He was like Naruto. And during break, we introduced ourselves. His name was Inuzuka Aki, and he enjoyed training and dogs. He was practicing combo-attacks with his dog, but his taijutsu was lacking and he had no talent for genjutsu. He was a cheerful person and always looked on the bright side.

My name is Akiyama Hiromi. I enjoy sleeping and cats. I worked alone, and my taijutsu is fabulous and my strong suit is herbs and genjutsu. I am a kinda emo person who always looked on the darker side.

We're still friends.

I took him home after school and returned Arashi to him.

"Aki!" Arashi woofed and wagged his tail. "You forgot me in the rain!"

"I'm sorry!" Aki replied with even more enthusiasm. "I'll never do it again!"

"Really?"

"No."

"This is weird," I concluded.

We sat on my back porch, overlooking the traditional japanese pond and garden.

"Say, Hiromi, where's your family?" Aki asked me.

"I live with my mom," I replied.

"Where's your dad?"

"Dead."

"My mom died too," Aki tried to reassure me. "It's just me and my dad."

Silence. Arashi doggy-sighed.

"How do you always look up?" I asked.

"Huh?" Aki looked confused, watching the koi jump in the pond. "What do ya mean?"

"You're always so cheerful," I hugged my knees. Resting my head on my arms. "Don't you ever miss your mom?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "But there's always a brighter future. Okaa-chan wouldn't want me to be sad. She'd want her child to be happy and content."

I let that sink in. "Your dad loves you, right?"

"Tou-chan is the best! He's always kind to me and protects me."

Wish it was the same for me.

"Did that help?"

"Sure."

* * *

 **The Empress**

Her name was Minami Sorano.

She grew up in Konoha with her team, graduating at a normal age, passing the chunin exam at twelve, and becoming a jounin at fourteen. She was average, but being born in a time of war raised prodigies such as herself.

And Sakumo.

Musn't forget Sakumo.

She was, one day, fighting a Kumo nin, and she got stabbed through the chest and left for dead. It was an annoying snowy-haired bastard that had saved her.

"Let me die!" Sorano had said. "Fuck off, Snowy!"

"Feisty," Snowy had replied, and continued healing her. "I can't leave a comrade from Konoha behind like this. I can't let you die. What would your family think? Your friends? Don't you have people that will grieve your death?"

"No," she grumbled. "I'm just useless baggage. Konoha should be happy to get rid of-"

He put his finger on her mouth. "Shut up," he said gently. "I'm trying to save your ass. Don't talk too much."

"...Bastard."

"Asshole."

"Dick."

"Patient who won't shut the hell up. So do it."

"...Mm."

And from that crazy point on, they fell in love and had a kid and shit. Sometimes Sorano was scared of her own daughter, of how intelligent she was.

Hideki wasn't a secret prodigy, is he? She wondered while killing carrots. Hiromi is awfully smart.

One time she asked, "Will daddy have his head on his shoulders when he comes back?"

Kids are full of scary stuff.


	3. Inuzukas

"So what do poppy seeds do?" I quizzed Rin.

"Poppy seeds help ease pain and bring sleep!" She chirped back.

"Good." I checked the time. "About it for today."

"Ehhhhh?" She whined. "Why?"

"I have to meet up with Aki."

"Aki?" Rin wiggled her eyebrows. "Your boyyyyffriendddd?"

"Keep rolling your tongue and I'll cut it off," I threatened. "Our relationship is as stoic as yours and Kakashi's."

Rin pouted. "Kakashi-kun…"

Rin had a crush on him already. She's five. What the hell.

I stood up and brushed myself off. "Well, tomorrow's another day, Rin."

She immediately brightened and smiled. "See you tomorrow then, Hiro-chan!"

"Looking forward to it. Ja ne." I left through the door like a civilized human being.

On my way to the Inuzuka compound, I spotted Kakashi. He was staring at the ground as a girl spat at him, a crowd surrounding them.

Ah yes, the daughter of the friend Sakumo saved.

Bitch.

My body moved on its own as I stepped between them. "Enough."

Kakashi's head jerked up in surprise.

The girl sneered. "That's the son of the village's disgrace!"

"So you're saying you'd rather have your father dead?" I retorted. "Your father survived the mission because of Sakumo-san. With your little daddy-complex, you should be thanking him for saving you from your babyish little tears."

The older girl bristled and took out a kunai. A spectator whistled.

 _Let's play this game._ She lunged forward, and I grabbed her wrist, flicked the kunai into my own hand, and cut her belt like my mother had taught me: pantsing like a badass.

Her pants fell down to reveal-

I snorted. " _Strawberries?"_

The crowd laughed. I took in her embarrassment as I faced the red-faced girl. "If you're gonna play ninja, at least have cooler panties."

She fumed and ran off. The crowd dispersed.

"Why?" I jumped. Kakashi was still there, confusion in his dark eyes.

"Why….?" I motioned for him to continue.

"Why did you help me? My father is a disgrace to the village."

I smacked him on the head. "Sakumo-san saved his friends! Sure, those who abandon the mission are scum...but those who leave their friends behind are worse than scum!"

 _Quote Obito!_ I didn't add. His eyes widened, and he glanced away.

"Crap, I'm late." I ruffled his unnaturally spiky hair and ran off.

* * *

~Inuzuka compund~

"You're late!" Aki and Arashi cheered.

I sighed. "Why is that good news?"

"It's not," Arashi countered.

"But we have to stay cheerful!" Aki finished.

"This is stupid!" I cheered, then kicked their asses into the ground. "Your taijutsu sucks."

"So does your ninjutsu!" Aki retorted. "Tou-chan will be training us today."

His dad came out. "Hello, Hiromi-chan. Aki's been so excited about this training session. He and Arashi have missed you."

"Shut up, dad!" Aki protested, embarrassed.

A big white dog came out. "I'm Shiromaru; Aito's partner."

Aito-san clapped his hands together. "You'll be doing the tree-walking exercise today."

"Why does that help with your ninjutsu?" Shiromaru inquired.

"Chakra control," I replied.

Aito nodded. "Let's begin!"

Arashi had already mastered these techniques, so he got to play with Shiromaru, who, turns out, was his mother.

Aito gave us tips on chakra control. "Keep calm," he instructed. "Don't get too excited. Take steps first."

I took a deep breath and focused my chakra to my feet. I tried to keep calm, closing my eyes and walking up the bark of the tree.

"Whoaaaa! You're so cool, Hiromi!" Aki exclaimed. I lost my concentration and fell on my butt. "Ow," I complained.

"Nice work, Hiromi," Aito-san approved. "You somewhat have good chakra control. Aki, don't lose to her!"

"I won't," Aki said determinedly. "I'll beat Hiromi and become the top shinobi in class!"

"I'll be the top kunoichi, then," I smirked. "Let's see who gets the best grades."

"There's always Kakashi to compete with," Arashi reminded us.

Silence. _Ah, yes, the one who took Obito's eye._

"What's his problem anyways?" Aki sat next to me under the tree, folding his arms. "He's always so stuck-up, and his mask, and all the girls like him."

"Maybe he's a bishounen," I suggested.

Aki made a face. " _Please_ don't fangirl over him. The girls are so annoying."

"He's a prodigy," I added absently. Aito and Shiromaru were arguing about something, a little distance away from us. "War breeds prodigies like Kakashi, born from hatred."

I noticed their weird stares and shook my head. "Forget it."

"Sometimes you don't even sound like a child," Aki commented. "But it's okay! Arashi and I will have the _most_ awesome attacks!"

"You completely changed the subject." _I've got my own special techniques too. Actually, that's the only time I'm awesome at ninjutsu._

"Meh." Aki shrugged. "Maybe we could be on the same team! Right, Arashi?"

"That'd be fun!" Arashi wagged his tail happily. "Right, Hiromi?"

"Sure," I muttered, pulling my knees to my chest.

Aki frowned. "Stop."

I glanced at him from under my arms. "Stop what?"

"You're always hugging your knees when you're sad!" He glared at me. "You're not alone! You have us!"

"And Rin-chan," Arashi added.

 _Damn these perceptive children._ I folded my legs. "Fine."

"Are we your friends or not?!" Aki looked frustrated. "You're always so quiet, like you would rather be alone than with people!"

"And maybe I do," I retorted.

Aito came back over. "Yosh, kiddos, let's continue with the training."

Aki gave me one last glare before he stood up. "Hai, tou-chan."

"Yes, Aito-san," I stumbled onto my feet as well. I suddenly felt very tired. _Is it the two nights without sleep?_

 _Naaah. Couldn't be._

* * *

We trained for the rest of the day. When the sun began to set, I dismissed myself and was putting on my shoes when Aki approached me. "Wait."

I stood up, ready to leave. "Yes?"

"I-I'm sorry for getting mad at you." He sounded like apologizing was the equivalent of getting shot through his _part._

"I'm sorry for being a jerk," I replied.

"But I'll always be here!" Aki promised me. "We'll always be friends." Arashi nodded.

"...Yeah." I felt my mouth twitching, and Aki beamed when he saw it.

"Well, bye." I turned and left.

"See you tomorrow!" Aki called after me.

"Ah." I waved without looking back.


	4. Dream

I was on my way home when I encountered mom's teammates. My eyes lit up. "Takeo! Kaori!"

Takeo grinned. "Hey, Hiromi! Why are you out so late?"

"I was training with Aki," I explained.

Kaori gave a tired smile. "Your boyfriend?"

"Why does everyone think that?" I asked rhetorically.

Takeo ruffled my hair. "C'mon, we'll walk you home. And then we'll drag your mother out for some dinner."

"I'll pass," I yawned. "I haven't slept in a while."

We started walking.

"How long?" Kaori questioned.

"Mm. 48 hours."

"WHAT?!" Takeo exclaimed. "You're four!"

I shrugged. "Yeah, well, I have a lot on my mind."

Kaori set me on his shoulders. "Like?"

"Hatake Sakumo."

We began the trek home once again.

"What about Sakumo-san?"

"Everyone's calling him a disgrace. But he only saved his friends."

"He may have started this entire war, Hiromi."

"But he only saved his friends! We should be proud of him."

"Not everyone can see the best in people, like you, Hiromi."

"Well screw them."

"Language, Hiromi-chan."

We arrived at home, and I skipped into my room while Takeo and Kaori were heard dragging something out the door. "Bye, Hiromi!"

"Yeah!" I called back.

* * *

~With the old Team 3~

Takeo and Kaori dragged Sorano to a restaurant and ordered zoni soup, one of her favorite foods.

"I would've been fine," Sorano complained.

"No, you wouldn't. You've lost some weight, and you're pale," Kaori retorted. "Hiromi-chan is worried about you too."

Sorano rested her chin on her hand. "Damn it. Damn Hideki. Dying on us like that…."

"Hiromi's made a friend. Two, it seems."

Sorano's dull eyes glanced up. "Really. Who."

"Nohara Rin and Inuzuka Aki."

"Aki...a boy's name….." A killing intent came from Sorano.

"Chill out, Sorano. Hiromi won't be a little girl forever," Takeo joked.

"She's four! No boys!" Sorano exclaimed.

"Hiromi-chan says Aki's father is helping her with ninjutsu and genjutsu, since you won't do it anymore," Kaori explained. "And she's been teaching Rin-chan about herbs, since Rin-chan wants to be a medic-nin."

Sorano nodded. "I'm well informed on the village." The food arrived and they began eating.

"Why do you ignore your daughter?" Takeo asked. "She's not Hiromi-chan anymore. She's grown up. Her eyes don't shine anymore, and she doesn't giggle like a child. Her eyes are dark."

"Like that Hatake kid," Kaori mumbled.

Sorano took a bite of her food. "Meh. She'll live. She's like me. Awesome."

"But she'll be a terrible mother, with how she's been treated," Takeo mumbled through mouthfuls of food.

"Please finish chewing before you talk," Kaori covered his eyes. "It's gross." Takeo grinned.

Sorano stirred her soup. "I can't even look her in the eyes anymore. All I see is Hideki…."

Takeo resisted the urge to strangle her. Kaori placed his empty bowl aside. "Seriously, though, Hiromi's gonna hate you."

"Can't hate me more than she already does!" Sorano finished her soup and stood up. "I'm leaving."

She walked out of the restaurant, leaving the bill with her old teammates.

"Bitch," Takeo muttered, pulling some money out of his wallet.

"Bitch." Kaori agreed.

* * *

Once they left, I went to sleep, for the first time in two days. I had a weird dream.

I was sitting on my back porch under the moon, watching the fish jump, counting.

"One, two, three…" I counted as the fish jumped from the pond. It was a serene night, with soft ripples through the pond. I felt like something was wrong, but didn't think much of it. This was just like any other night.

Suddenly, the koi crumbled to ashes, and a shadow formed on the ground. It was a person with spiky hair, with a stick poking from their back. When it opened its eyes, there was a red sharingan, but not...there were three connected circles, not three tomoe. Then the shadow pulled the stick - now a butt-shaped fan - and held it above its head. The moon turned red, with two circles and six tomoe on it.

The shadow came out of the ground and held his hand out to me, invitingly. He beckoned toward me, as if he wanted me to go to him. He gave a badass smile.

Then I woke up to my alarm. It was time for school already. I shrugged and got out of my futon.

* * *

 **The World**

Inuzuka Aki was a cheerful boy.

His mother died giving birth to him, and his father was all he had. The other clansmen didn't really appeal to him. Arashi was his best friend, and he liked Shiromaru. She had a pretty coat.

He always seemed cheerful, but he had a side nobody ever saw. Even Arashi was oblivious.

Aki cried when he was alone. He was loved by everybody, but he wasn't close to anyone aside from Arashi. He was there, but wasn't. He was a nobody, just your average child passing by in the halls.

Then he met Hiromi.

They were about the same size, so they were sparring partners. He told her about his missing ninken, and she told him she picked him up last night. Aki was guilty he had left Arashi in the...storm. Sigh….puns.

She noticed and immediately challenged him to the taijutsu match, where his ass was thoroughly kicked by a younger girl. He was pleased when she told him she lacked in ninjutsu. And she liked cats.

Cats were okay.

He instantly realized they were the same, but she dealt with loneliness differently. She didn't face it, she just ran away from it. So he invited her over for a training session so she wouldn't feel so lonely anymore. He saw her mouth twitch, threatening to smile. He beamed and waved goodbye.

He had succeeded in making her smile. And maybe, she wasn't lonely anymore. She was never alone in the first place, and she just needed a push to find out.

Aki promised her they'd be friends forever. Aki wasn't one to break his promises. He knew for both him and Hiromi, they were each other's first friend that they connected with.


	5. Shuji

All through class, I couldn't focus on whatever the sensei was saying. All I heard was, well, nothing. I couldn't forget about the dream.

The man was saying something. I can't remember what it was…..who was the man? Isn't the Sharingan only supposed to have three tomoe?

Dammit. The man had long, spiky black hair and an ass fan. Who could it be?

When the lunch bell rang, I jumped from my seat and zipped outta there quick.

Aki, Rin, and I ate our lunch under a shady tree.

"This feels nice," Rin commented. Aki agreed. "I like this tree. This will be our trademark spot!"

I hummed in agreement, scanning the yard. Everyone seemed content with their friends, except Kakashi, who was nowhere in sight, probably so as to not reveal his face. Damn.

And….Obito.

Should I invite him? I wondered. It'd be too troublesome to form bonds with even more people…..

Something tugged at my heart.

Damn you, Naruto. Damn you for being my second conscience!

I put down my bento and snuck up on him. I tapped his shoulder. "Yo."

He jumped and turned around with wide eyes. "...Who are you?"

"My name is Hiromi." I pointed toward Rin and Aki. "Wanna eat lunch with us?"

He seemed hesitant, but it all went away when he saw Rin. "Of course!"

So then we made friends and blah blah blah, and oh, turns out Kakashi graduated already.

Lucky bastard.

Arashi ate my bento so I shared with Obito.

And yeah, that's about it.

Nothing else happened until after school…..dramatic pausepausepause for the sweet love of Pein PAUSE DAMMIT

I met someone I'd rather not have met.

And while I was being awesome, too.

Dammit.

* * *

So theya ah wahs, jas bein' awsum and shit-

Okey.

I was training with a summon. A summon all Uchihas should have.

Cats, dammit.

I got it from dad. His old partners were eager to teach a 'kawaii little midget', so right now Shuji was teaching me about physical genjutsus.

"Physical genjutsu is a genjutsu that can be seen to everyone, and not just the victim," The blue tiger said calmly. "Your father used genjutsus to make the illusion of land when there was only a cliff."

"...Oh." Ruthless killers.

"You have practiced, have you not?" Shuji flicked his tail. "I'll show you."

I met his yellow eyes, and suddenly, the sky was dark, and I was surrounded by bunnies.

Bunny after bunny after rabbit after furry critter after my first murder.

This is meant to induce fear. So even if the victim knows they're in a genjutsu, they won't be able to break it.

"Well p-pla-play-played," I trembled. "S-son of a.."

I lifted my shaky fingers into the dispelling seal."K-kai."

The bunnies disappeared. "Good," Shuji praised.

After I finished trembling, my face broke out into a grin. "Great job! You live up to your name, Shuji!"

"I'm not nearly as good at ninjutsu. Ichiro is better at that." He examined his claws. "Okay. You next. Conjure up something everyone would be afraid of."

Death, was my immediate answer. "Okay."

I sat down with my legs crossed and forced myself to be calm. Concentrate chakra, kami damn it!

Nope. That doesn't sound right.

I concentrated, with the idea of shinigami in my head.

"G-good," Shuji said. "I can f-feel the killer int-intent."

I let out a malicious grin and opened my eyes, letting them bleed red.

mewuvs u kurama-chan

"Die," I hissed.

"Well done," I heard approval.

I slowly turned and cocked my head, licking my lips. "You are?"

The man smiled(creepily). "My name is Orochimaru." He had beads of sweat of his face. Scared him too?

Orochimaru. I broke the genjutsu. "Nice to meet you. My name is Hiromi."

"My, my…..learning such high level genjutsu at such a young age?" He smiled.

"Shuji's been coaching me," I mumbled.

"Oh? Your pet?" Shuji growled.

"My-my friend," I corrected. "Well, he was d-daddy's friend first…"

"Daddy's first…?" He trailed off. "So Shuji is a summon?"

I nodded quickly.

"Impressive," Orochimaru(pedophile) smiled(leered). "And how old are you?"

"Four."

Orochimaru seemed pleased. "Such a cute young girl…." He nodded. "Very well. Good day, Hiromi-chan."

He gave a friendly(malicious) smile and left.

What's with these memories….? I shrugged. "What's next?"

"You need to work on your swiftness, young grasshopper. Have you been doing the exercises I taught you?"

I groaned. "Ballet won't help my taijutsu!"

"Ballet?"

"...Nothing." I dropped my head in defeat.

"Show me the dance routine."

And that's pretty much how my day went.

What about you?

Are you apprenticed to spiteful training demons from hell?

* * *

 **Temperance**

She was a strange girl.

Really, she was. She saved him from those people who were spitting on him and even scolded him, saying that his father was a hero. He decided to reconsider his thoughts on his father afterward.

But it was too late.

Sakumo was already dead.

Every day after the academy, he visited his father's grave for hours on end. Even after he had graduated, he always visited, regardless of the weather.

One time, when he was visiting in the rain, he found someone else there; a mop of long snowy hair, with a familiar electric blue streak. She was crouching in front of a grave, praying.

"What are you doing here?" He asked her.

She sat up slowly and turned around, a dead look in her eyes. Kakashi flinched. Her eyes had seemed so lively back then.

"What are you doing here?" He repeated.

She gave a tired smile. "I'm visiting my father."

"Your father?" He questioned.

She placed a tiny hand on the grave. "Hiromi's father died in the battlefield. She was unable to save him. She…..she is guilty for being unable to save him. Hiromi never thought…" she stopped.

Hiromi? "Your name is Hiromi?" he asked. She nodded. "She's sorry to bother you….."

"No, it's okay." He turned back to his stone. He suddenly felt very cold and tired. Without warning, he collapsed onto the stone.

"Wha….hey! Kakashi!" He heard her call, before he passed out.


	6. Shinigami

I had the dream again.

This time, I was following three silhouettes. A tall one, and two about my height. Then, they melted into the background, and I suddenly couldn't see them anymore.

Then the same man came out and turned the moon red. This time, When he opened his eyes, they were purple, with circles in them.

Then I woke up to my alarm again, but this time I had a name in my head: Uchiha Madara.

~Later~

I had no school today, so I went over to Aki's, where I met another interesting figure.

We were just doing target practice, when Aki got frustrated that I was a lot better than him, and he threw his kunai at a tree.

...Killing a bird.

"Shit!" We hurried over there, but it was too late. The poor thing had no heartbeat.

"Why?!" Aki yelled dramatically. "I took your innocent life! Forgive me!"

I pulled the kunai out of the bird, but it was then a jolt was sent through my body. "Wha...?"

The bird had no heartbeat, but its chakra was still warm and flowing. If...

I summoned chakra to my hands and placed it over the bird. I don't know much about medical jutsu, but...

I tugged on the bird's chakra. Then slowly, it began twitching.

Aki gasped. "Hiromi...?"

So that was how I revived a dead bird.

And was admitted to the hospital for chakra exhaustion.

And met the Shinigami king.

* * *

 **Death**

I sat up, only to see a terrifying figure looming over me. "Yo."

"Yo," I returned tiredly.

"Do you know why I called you here?" Shinigami king asked.

I shrugged.

"Very well, Why not sit down for a cup of tea?" He moved aside, eyes glowing bright yellow.

We sat down at a table.

Huh. I was having tea and biscuits with the king of hell.

"You revived a dead bird."

"Mm-hmm."

"I've heard about Edo-Tensei, but this isn't it. I'd feel it." He looked at me, and I focused on my lap. Don't look into his eyes….don't look at his eyes don't look don'tlookdon'tlookdon'tlook….

"You harnessed the powers of the river between life and death. That's not possible, unless…." His eyes glinted. "You've been to this side before."

"Meh. This and that." I sipped the tea. "You make great tea."

The king sighed. "Whatever. I don't care. Just remember…."

His head enlarged like Iruka's and he shouted in my face, "IF YOU BRING SOMETHING BACK TO LIFE AGAIN, I'LL KILL YOU!" And then he vanished in a swirl of purple flames.

~Inuzuka Compound~

"..then I kicked his ass and he said, "Hiromi-sama, you truly are the greatest." I summed up.

"So...the king of hell got his ass kicked by you?" Aito raised an eyebrow. Shiromaru yawned. "I can smell your lie. Actually, I don't even need to smell you to know you're lying, There's no king of hell."

"There is!" I protested. "I even had tea with him. He yelled at me for crossing the river, too."

"River?" Arashi echoed.

I sighed. "...You won't get it, will you…."

Shiromaru stole my sandwich. "The point is, you're just a kid. Don't go around reviving birds and having tea with strange shinigami kings with purple fire and yellow eyes."

I pouted. "I won't….."

* * *

 **Temperance (2)**

So then he was out like a light.

And I didn't know the fuck to do.

I had a cat for just about everything: ninjutsu, genjutsu, taijutsu, fuinjutsu, even neko freaking kung fu panda kenjutsu. But alas, calling out a cat in the rain will put me on probation.

I dragged him under a tree with some difficulty, hoping he wouldn't be hit by lightning.

Heh. The irony. Damn chidori is lightning, and dying of it would be so ironic because he fucking stabbed Rin through the fucking heart with his damn thousand fucking birds-

Okey.

I felt his mask. Thin. Wouldn't affect his breathing, but….

I removed it anyway.

And if the rain turned red with my nosebleed, nobody would notice.

* * *

I used my super hearing (I'm signed with cats bitches) to track down Minato and Kushina's house, and knocked on their door.

Kushina-chan herself opened the door. Her eyes widened. I guess a red-drenched little girl carrying a basta- darling twice her weight must've made quite a sight.

"Kushina-san," I greeted. "Kakashi here is dying."

Her eyes widened, and she quickly ushered us in.

Minato came out. "What's wrong Kushina?"

"Your student is a drowned rat, and this adorable child dragged him here." Minato quickly took Kakashi and dragged him off somewhere, while Kushina-chan knelt down to my level and smiled. "Hello. What's your name?"

"Hiromi," I deadpanned, containing my excitement. Don't fangirl…...

"...Are you okay?" She asked.

I nodded. "Perfectly fine." I summoned a cat. "I should get home."

Kushina looked flabbergasted.

"...Why are you covered in your own blood?" My shushin-kitty questioned.

"Kakashi's a hottie."

"What?" Kushina picked me up, grinning. "What did he look like?"

"He had this mole, and he was just….ahhhhhh," I swooned. "I think I'm becoming a fangirl…"

No! Stay loyal to Obito-koi, dammit!

I shook my head. "No! I refuse to be a fangirl!"

"Kakashi will be fine," Minato said, returning to a wildly grinning Kushina and a blood-covered swooning child, accompanied by a 100% done green cat.

* * *

 **The Sun**

"You'll never be as good as us!" An older boy sneered.

"You don't even have the Sharingan," His friend scorned, activating his. He had red eyes, with one tomoe in each.

"Shut up! I'll….I'll become Hokage one day!" Obito retaliated. Brat#1 threw a rock at him, and Obito took off.

Again.

He took off to his familiar tree and wiped his wet eyes, burying his head in his knees.

Someone sat down next to him. Go away, he thought bitterly.

He tapped Obito on the shoulder. "Hey." A girl?

He glanced up from under his arms. "What."

He was presented with a neatly wrapped box. "Here." She was so quiet, he wouldn't have heard her if she weren't so close.

He lifted his head. "Hmm…?" It was a present. "For me?"

She smiled. "Happy birthday, Obito-san."

He was stunned. Birthday…? Oh yeah, it was his birthday today. He was too busy with his cousins to remember.

He accepted it, and slowly opened the box, expecting a prank. He looked inside and picked out a pair of orange goggles. "Goggles…?"

It wasn't a prank. He took a good look at the girl. She had pretty snow-colored hair with an electric blue streak, and blue eyes colder than ice. She smiled shyly.

He tried them on. "Whoa! I love these!" Sucky family temporarily forgotten. "Thanks, uh…"

"Hiromi," she supplied.

"Thanks, Hiromi!" He grinned brightly.

The gift, he loved. He vaguely remembered eating lunch with her and Rin and the Inuzuka once.

But the gift wasn't what mattered.

This girl, that he barely remembered, who he didn't even know the name to, remembered his birthday, even though they were pretty much strangers. "How'd you know my birthday?"

"I remembered it from class introductions," she admitted quietly. "I saw the goggles, and I thought they'd look nice on you…"

She looked cute, with the bright red on her cheeks contrasting her cold eyes and pale hair.

"I love them."


	7. Sorano

I am obsessed with nature.

I can even express myself in one of il romanze lingue to tell you what I think of the forest: bellissimo.

I mean, I never noticed how gorgeous the woods were. The trees, the grass, the flora and fauna…..

While Aki was doing clan training, I took off to the woods to practice my stealth. There were always distractions: twigs on the ground, crunchy leaves, silent squirrels….

Seriously, when a squirrel creeps up on you and starts hacking on an acorn, it'd freak you out too.

So I was working on walking silently and succeeding when I came across a large, sparkling river. And when I find a river, I do the natural thing: look for a waterfall!

I saw the river gushing from the west, so I followed the current to a cliff. Not that tall, only about four meters in height, with a nice hidden cave behind the waterfall. I ducked around the waterfall and headed inside.

It was humid, with water vapor from the waterfall in the room, but I summoned my shushin-kitty.

Shushin-kitty was Ichiro, Shuji's nii-chan. He was the ninjutsu neko, but since I like Shisui Ima just gun call him shushin-kitty.

"...Hiromi?" Ichiro asked. "I can barely see."

"Better than me. I can't see at all." I shrugged. "Please make some light."

I heard some shuffling, then: "Katon: gōkakyū no jutsu!"

I enveloped the fire in chakra balls and had pretty blue lanterns floating around the room. "Nice."

"It's be nice if you could do the same," Ichiro snorted.

"Shaddup, shushin-kitty." I looked around. It was a wide cave, about two meters high, three in length, and two in width. 2x3x2=12 meters cubed.

Oh look, I'm smart.

There was moss growing on the walls, but otherwise, that was it for the interior of stone.

"This shall be my hideout," I declared. Ichiro sighed. "You're just like Sorano."

"Oh really," I said.

"You…." Ichiro seemed to realize and sighed. He patted the ground next to him with his tail, and sat down himself. "Sit next to me and we'll talk."

I complied.

"Sorano was a feisty girl."

I sat quietly and listened.

"She was mad at Hideki during the beginning of this war for being a guy. She was pregnant with you, so she was off the roster, and I quote, 'What I wouldn't give for a dick right now.' Hideki nearly fainted."

I giggled.

"Sorano just needed space, ya know. Then she gave birth to you. She loved you, and was even a little scared of your intelligence sometimes. She hated that you were born in a time of war."

I nodded. "...Me too." Damn this entire shy-thing.

"She tried her best to raise you. And she didn't kill you, which is great. I heard she once blew up a boulder trying to cook. The only thing she could make was cup ramen."

I nodded. She always bought takeout.

"She was accident-prone, and your father was the one who saved her ass from a Kumo-nin. When she found out about your bloodline limit, she was delighted you'd be able to defend yourself, while your dad panicked. He thought Konoha would kill you."

"They might."

"They might, which is why I recommend you keep this secret." Ichiro sighed. The contained fire cast dim lights on the walls and floor. "Your parents just wanted to protect you. Sorano can't look at you without seeing Hideki." Ichiro looked at me with his judging brown eyes. He flicked his tail. "And with your genjutsu talent, I'm sure she's proud."

"I'm a normal girl who was born into a time of war. Maybe she should just be happy. I even have a talent for genjutsu, which takes a lot of chakra control and patience; something she doesn't have!"

Ichiro sighed. "Your mother's on a mission. She…..is with her old team. But I'm sure she's still worried about you."

I tilted my head and played with my fingers. "Maybe. Maybe she's fighting for her life and has no time to care."

Ichiro stilled, then sighed. "Well, I don't care either. Look, while we're here, you might as well learn a few things about your village."

I nodded.

"Who 'fans the flames of hell'?"

"Uchihas."

"Their usual secondary affinity?"

"Lightning, which is mine, or wind."

"Do we give a shit about them?"

"No."

"You pass the test." Ichiro laid his head on his front paws, and I grinned, internally fist-pumping. "This went from fire to Uchihas to the fact that their family tree is a cactus...wow."

"Cactus?" Ichiro asked.

"Everyone's a prick."

Ichiro chuckled. "Except that kid your age. What was his name again…..Brian?"

"Obito."

"Wow. I wasn't even close." Ichiro snorted. "I still remember when you just a little brat who couldn't do anything but stutter, but now you're a little brat who sasses the hell out of your friends and says nothing in public. You can't even do a proper fireball, and I don't believe you ever will."

"...Fuck."

* * *

 **Emperor**

"Tou-chan!" Hiromi cheered, rushing into her father's arms. He chuckled, sitting up despite all the pain it caused his spine, he'd never stop smiling and loving his family. "Hiromi-chan."

"Yo, Hideki." Sorano entered the room doing a little break dancing. Hideki mentally facepalmed.

"Kaa-chan brought real food," Hiromi said enthusiastically.

Hideki sighed in relief. "Thank you, Sorano….hospital food is disgusting."

Sorano smiled as she sat down on a stool next to the bed. "Hiromi-chan was so excited to see you. She even brought you a bouquet." She presented a vase of beautifully arranged flowers.

"I made this!" Hiromi bragged. "Kaa-chan said I need to act like I'm actually female instead of blowing things up, so she taught me flower arranging. I don't know their meanings, but I think they're pretty!"

Hideki analyzed the flowers. A scatter of wallflowers and petunias on the outside, and a single blue lily as the centerpiece. He hugged his daughter with painful difficulty. "Thanks, Hiromi-chan. Although, I bet when you grow up, you'll be even prettier than those flowers."

She pouted adorably, puffing out her cheeks. "Stop joking, tou-chan."

Hideki wasn't joking, but he chuckled and ruffled her hair, leaving it at that. They had a nice little picnic in the hospital before a blond nurse informed them visiting hours were over, and he waved goodbye to his family.

He kept his test results hidden from them. It wouldn't do him good to see the crestfallen look on his beautiful wife's face, nor did he want to see little Hiromi cry.

He convinced himself that it would be better that way.

Then he died the next week, implanting the first crack in Hiromi's already fragile heart.

* * *

Neko Village

Hiromi's summons came from a lovely place named Neko Village. All sorts of cats lived there: tigers, leopards, lions, panthers, even kittens and housecats. The village was really just caves hollowed out, some from the nearby lake and others from earth jutsus. There was a fair amount of fish, and plentiful prey in the forest they lived in, and to entertain themselves they played tag or watched mice get squeezed to death by snakes.

Wonderful village of cats.

Once upon a time, they had a summoner by the name of Akiyama Hideki, who had found their summoning scroll.

"Kaa-san!" Little Hideki rushed into his house, lugging the large scroll with him. "Kaa-san, look what I found!"

"A summoning scroll?" His mother, asked, surprised. "Hideki, you can't steal from others….."

"Kaa-san, I found this in the training ground!" Hideki insisted.

"Let me see…." Yukino took a look at the scroll. There were two names on it, and the last name was one of her friend's cousins. He'd died last week.

Is this ironic or is it just me, Yukino mentally thought.

"Well, since you found it, I guess you could keep it," Yukino shrugged. "I'm sure my friend wouldn't mind."

"Thanks, kaa-san!" Hideki grinned, his smile brighter than the sun.

Yukino grinned in return, ruffling her son's electric blue hair. "Now, Hideki, let me show you how to make a contract with animals….."

She instructed her son on how to do it, and Hideki obliged. He bit his thumb and wrote his name in blood on the line next to the name: Asagiri Hotaru. He grinned and wiped his thumb on his shirt. "Done!"

Yukino smiled and patted her son's head. "Now you just need to practice summoning them, and gain their trust and respect."

Hideki went a long time, only able to summon kittens who could only mew. Finally, after a month, he summoned a kitten who could talk.

"So you're Hotaru's successor?" The tiger blinked his yellow eyes up at him curiously.

"Yup. My name's Ayato Hideki, nice to meet you!" He stuck out his hand.

He shook paws with the blue kitten. "I'm Shuji. Nice to meet you." He showed his teeth in a kitten grin. "I'm sure we'll be the best partners ever!"

Hideki's eyes widened with surprise, then he tackled Shuji in a hug. "Of course!"


	8. Ghosts

I just got reminded...

I am fabulous.

I was just at the graveyard when something miraculous happened.

Let's do this Kishi-style and have a long flashback.

~Flashback~

I was going to go leave some flowers at tou-chan's grave, and I did, and I sat down and prayed. I remember I was thinking about what he could be doing on the other side. Training? Sparring? Golf?

When I heard a kind voice, "You seem a bit young to be here."

I looked up from my praying and saw, I kid you not, a transparent man.

"You're see-through," I said like the big baby I was.

"I'm dead," he chuckled good-naturedly.

"Then why are you here," I stated emotionlessly. He sat down on the grave next to tou-chan's.

"Well, I heard about the cheeky little girl who brought a bird back to life, and you happened to be so close to my corpse," he gestured to his seat, "so I decided to pay you a little visit."

I looked around. "What if others come?"

"You're the only one that can see me." He shrugged. "You can cross the river, but the others can't. I heard the king is waiting for you to revive another animal so he can kill you."

"Violent bastard," I muttered. Louder, I said, "So you can just randomly pop up at your grave?"

He shook his head. "I won't be able to do this after a while. I'm only here because I'm still a fresh corpse. I've only been here for about two months; but after a year or so, I won't be able to come here."

"...Could I see my father?" I asked with a tint of hope in my voice.

"Hmm….your father's been dead for a while now." He inspected the date of death. "And a little lady like you wouldn't be able to summon a ghost…..but maybe the shinigami king could. Perhaps he'll take a liking to you and invite you to a ferry ride down the river." He winked at me. "But don't tell anybody that you can see ghosts, m'kay?"

I nodded in agreement. "What's the deal with this 'river'? It seems to be such a big deal," I said.

"Well, the river separates living from dead...I'd go into a detailed explanation, but I don't actually know much myself. My time's almost up, ojou-chan, but I could stay and keep ya company for the rest of this while."

~Epic flashback end~

So, basically, we wandered on the edge of the river when we were dreaming, and across the river we'd be dead, the eternal sleep.

Because, fuck physics.

Anywho, Aki confronted me, looking very excited. Arashi told me about their plans. "We're taking you on an excursion today!"

"Excursion? Where?" I asked, confused. Their peanut brains know that word?

"To the woods," Arashi showed off his doggy teeth.

"That can't be it." I knew them too well for that.

"Fine. We'll tell you. We're actually taking you to the forest shrine! You know, with the ghosts!" Aki declared proudly. "You, Arashi, and I are going to find the ghosts and become legends!"

"We're four."

"You're four, midget. I'm five."

"We're still just kids."

"Shut up and just get moving…."

* * *

~After a painfully long day~

The moon came out.

And we still hadn't found the shrine.

Aki and I wandered around aimlessly, not really knowing where we were going. "Aki, are you sure the shrine isn't just a legend?"

"I'm sure!" Aki insisted. "The ghosts only show themselves to those who have their heart set on finding the shrine, and can stand the scariest dangers of the forest!"

Arashi barked in agreement.

"What scariest-" A rustle came from behind me. I attached myself to Aki. "What was that?"

"...Please get off," Aki complained politely. Somehow.

"Not until it's completely safe-" I saw a white light zoom by. "..Did you see that?"

"No?" Arashi sniffed the air. "But it smells really dangerous."

What were they called in Bleach...the mean ghosts? Hollows? Ah, yes, hollows.

WE'RE UNDER HOLLOW ATTACK BRAIN WHAT DO WE DO?!

Hell if I know.

WELL THANKS LOGIC, THANK YOU.

I finished my mental conversation with the calm and collected logic in me, releasing Aki. "I saw a white light fly by. Maybe it was just my imagination, but we should probably leave….I mean, it's pretty dark."

"But we don't know the way out," Arashi pointed out. "Also, I wanna see ghosts!"

Aki nodded in agreement. "But I guess I should've foreseen you chickening out, Hiromi...after all, you are a girl." His brown eyes glinted challengingly.

And if there was one thing I hated more than anything, it would be sexism.

"Fine." I folded my arms. I'm pretty sassy for a four-year-old. "By the way, if we get hurt, I'm blaming everything on you."

Aki shrugged. "Then I guess we just have to stay safe."

Lies. I yawned. Time for lame puns.

"You know the fastest way to a girl's heart?"

"What is it?"

"Chidori." Sigh, these Kakashi puns…

"...Chidori?" He was confused. "What do birds have to do with anything?"

"Never mind…" He didn't get it. But oh, he would…...he would.

In the end, we never found ghosts. Well, I saw them, but Aki didn't, and Arashi never felt anything was off.

Weird, he did in the beginning. Maybe those were hollows, and I'm having a Bleach crossover.

That'd be nice.

 **~Doll~**

"...Please hurry."

"Never! We need to get this exactly right." Aito grinned. "You seem to be the kind of girl to stay away from pink, so while you're still a child, I need to enjoy this!"

I groaned. "Just hurry up." I was only sassy around people I was comfortable with, because if you noticed, I'm very shy and quiet around most people.

"Done," Aito declared, and screamed for Aki to get his ass in the room.

"What?" He popped his head in.

"Whacha think?" Aito proudly presented me to his confused son.

He dressed me in a red kimono with beautiful and girly flowers on it, did my hair, my makeup(I'm probably more manly than he is), and made me stand up the whole time and stay still so I wouldn't 'wrinkle the kimono'. Which is crap if you ask me.

"She looks terrible," Aki said bluntly.

"She looks perfect," Shiromaru rejected. "Why would you say that?"

Aki came over and wiped the white powder off my face. I closed my eye as he rubbed his hand over it. "I like Hiromi like she is. Don't make her into a doll, tou-chan."

Aito did a very girl- manly squeal and wiped his dry eyes. He did a fake sniff. "You puppies are so cute….."


	9. Generation

"This is stupid."

"You're stupid." Takeo huffed. "Inuzuka-san has been taking care of Hiromi for you since you ditched her and started going on mission after mission."

"Well someone needs to earn money for the family," Sorano grumbled.

"Go!" Takeo shoved her, and suddenly, here she was.

In front of the Inuzuka compound.

* * *

"Kill me now." She channeled up her last bit of dignity for a mask of calm and knocked on the door.

A dog answered it.

She stared at it.

It cleared its throat. "Yes?"

"I…...am looking for Aito….Inuzuka Aito?" she offered. Dumbass, this is the Inuzuka compound! Of fucking course they know he's an Inuzuka!

"And what business might you have with our clan head?" The brown dog politely inquired.

Clan head? ...This Aki is a heir?! "He has been taking care of my daughter….Hiromi?"

The dog nodded. "Ah, Hiromi's mother. I can see the resemblance now." The dog waved its tail. "Follow me, and close the door behind you."

Sorano obliged and followed after the dog, who eventually nodded to a door in a hall and trotted away contentedly.

These clans and their traditional homes and long hallways. Just get a normal house. She knocked on the door.

"Come in," a kind voice sounded. Sorano opened it.

It was a man with familiar red markings on his face, and his own canine companion. "Who might you be?" He inquired, again, very politely.

"My name is Ayato Sorano." She noticed his eyes light up as he recognized her name. "Ah, you're Hiromi-chan's kaa-chan, then?"

"Haven't been a very good one," The dog grouched. "She practically lives with Aki-kun."

"Shiromaru!" Aito scolded. He smiled apologetically at Sorano. "Take a seat, will you?"

She sat across from him at the table. He began. "So, it's true you haven't been around much. Hiromi says she nearly forgets what you look like every day," Aito waits for her response.

"...I'm sure you've heard her father died from a spine problem," Sorano replied. "We were three, and now we are two. I have to get back into gear in order to receive pay to feed my little girl."

"I didn't know Hiromi didn't have a dad," Shiromaru protested.

Sorano shrugged. "Eh. Well, now ya know." She turned back to Aito. "Inu-"

"Just Aito, Akiyama-san."

"Then address me as just Sorano as well, Aito." Sorano grinned. "I came by to thank you for taking care of Hiromi. She probably would've ended up cold and lonely if not for your hospitality. Hell, she would've ended up like that Hatake brat. He is in need of much therapy." Sorano found the three figures in the room nodding in agreement at this.

"Aki actually lost his dog one time," Aito admitted. "Not very responsible of him, but Hiromi bumped into Arashi on her way home, I suppose, and now Aki holds her in high regard."

"Hiromi would've ended up dysfunctional like that kid. I truly thank you for this." Sorano smiled.

Aito smiled back. "Well, now that that's over, let's play a game."

"What kind of game?" Sorano asked.

"Well, let's see….we should spar," he nodded, agreeing with himself. "Yes. Spar. Hiromi has quite a gift for genjutsu; I was caught quite a few times and didn't even realize I was in one until the moon turned red at night. Her taijutsu is on par with Aki's, but her ninjutsu…" Aito sucked in a breath. "She sucks."

"Hey!"

"That's why I'd like to test us out." He had a glint in his eye. "The parents and the children. What do you say?"

"Whyever not." Sorano cracked her knuckles. "Hope you're prepared to lose."

"I was just about to say the same thing to you, darling Sorano."

* * *

"Aki?"

"Mm?"

"Why do I feel like something's happening right now?"

"Because you're paranoid."

"I know. But it feels like Aki-oji is doing something that we should probably know about. My sixth sense is tingling."

"Maybe it's because he's talking crap about you," Aki suggested.

Hiromi nodded. "Perhaps."

"Shut the hell up," Arashi yawned.

And the three of them got into another brawl.

* * *

Yukino sat in the office with the Hokage. "Hiruzen."

"Yuki," The Sandaime smiled, serving them tea. "It's been a while."

"Yes, well, I don't think you called me over to have a reunion. So what's the issue?" The old lady's brown eyes swept over the Hokage calculatingly.

Hiruzen chuckled. "Always one to cut to the business, Yuki." He sat down across from her. "It's about your granddaughter."

"And what about her? She's a little angel, and I'm sure she grew out of the habit of blowing things up," The brunette defended her granddaughter.

"No, no, of course not. Hiromi-chan's doing fine. She's very attentive in school, and she's actually at the top of her class...even though she can't perform ninjutsu."

"She can," Yukino objected.

"She can do exactly four ninjutsu, Yuki. Kawarimi, bunshin, henge, and kuchiyose. She is even better than Kurenai-chan at genjutsu, and the Yuhi clan is a genjutsu clan. We intend for her to graduate, but the problem is: will she survive long? There are strong people out there. She can't only rely on genjutsu and taijutsu."

"Your point," Yukino sipped her tea. "I'm bored, Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen sighed. "So much sass." He moved on. "Well, I was wondering if we could teach her something to replace her lack of ninjutsu, and her summons can't always do the ninjutsu for her."

"Any suggestions," Yukino stated.

"Well, I've done some thinking on it, and I've narrowed it down to two jutsu types that could fit her and possibly replace her lack of ninjutsu. I've decided to let her pick between kenjutsu and fuinjutsu."

Kenjutsu.

Fuinjutsu.

Kenjutsu…

Or fuinjutsu?

Cut herself…

Study.

Cut herself….

Study….?

"She can get started on kenjutsu," Yukino decided. "Hiromi can master a blade in no time. She'll do the katana."

"Isn't she a bit young to wield such a long and heavy blade-"

"Shut up. Then she can use a tanto for now. Geez, stop breathing down my back, old man."

"Sassy as ever, old lady," He shot back, teasing.

"Well, before some unpleasant topic comes up, I'll excuse myself, Hiruzen."

"Please do."

 **So Hiromi will use swords to replace her lack of ninjutsu. She'll be a ninja-samurai!**

 **It took me forever to decide between kenjutsu and fuinjutsu, but I decided for her to wield a blade, like her father.**


	10. Pranks

It had now been five years since the third shinobi world war had begun.

Ten years since I had come into this violent world.

I didn't hate it.

But I didn't enjoy it either.

I did enjoy spending time with Aki and Rin and my mother's teammates when they had time, but it was sad, knowing that in just two years, I would be sent out to the battlefield, where I would die.

And then my mind jumps to Rin's death.

And then Obito's, and how they would still be alive if Kakashi wasn't being a little bitch and had just followed Obito to go save Rin.

The hate I feel for the guy is astonishing.

Not to mention that we were both using tantos as our weapon.

Why did he have to use it? He had his chidori and stuff. I didn't even have useful ninjutsu. Kakashi is a freaking prodigy. God. Him and his lightning element. Tragedy we have that in common as well.

I pulled on my shorts and sandals and headed out the door to the Academy. I had my tanto on my back and was on my way to the academy when I was interrupted by my cute little kohai.

"Hiromi-senpai~!" I turned around, grinning wildly like I rarely ever did. "Kawaii-tan!"

"Senpai!" He caught up with me and pouted. "I told you not to call me that anymorrrre!"

I giggled and ruffled up his neat hair, him squealing in protest. "Aha, sorry, Hayate-chan."

Gekko Hayate-chan, who had discovered me a year ago, hearing that a girl was using kenjutsu, decided to challenge me to a kenjutsu spar. I beat him rather quickly, if I do say so myself. Since then, he's looked up to me, following me around like a cute baby penguin.

He was simply too adorable. _Baki I swear to Jashin touch a single cute hair on his cute head and I will-_

"Are you heading to the academy, senpai?" His eyes were pretty much sparkling.

"Yep." I glanced at his eye-bags. Must be from his sickness. My poor child…..

"Then would you...um…" He blushed adorably. "Would you, perhaps….liketowalktheretogether?" He blurted out, seemingly expecting a no.

"Of course, Hayate-chan." I smiled at him, and he practically fainted from happiness.

I started walking, and he leaped after me eagerly. "So, so, senpai! Did you master any new techniques on your tanto?"

"Duh! Who do you think I am, cutie? Let me tell you…."

* * *

I dropped off Hayate at his class and headed back to my class, which had another year to go before graduating. We had about one hundred anf fifty students when we started, and we had lost about sixty percent to the war. We had around ninety students left in the entire academy, so my class consisted of only fifteen people. Five teams would graduate, if we all survived another year.

I sat down by Rin and Obito. "Hello."

"Good morning," Aki and Rin chorused. Aki gave me a foxy grin, along with Arashi. "Class is about to start."

"You smell like someone I don't know," Arashi commented. He made a big show of sniffing me, leading Aki to do the same. "You're right! And it's a boy!"

"A boy?" Rin perked up, grinning. "I thought you liked Aki, but guess you weren't lying about not liking him. So this is your real crush….what's his name?"

"Gekko Hayate," I began, before loud gasps from both sides came.

"Ehhh? But he has those eye bags!" Aki protested from my left.

"He's three years younger than you. I had suspected you'd like guys your age and older, Hiro-chan," Rin exclaimed from my right.

"Let me finish. Hayate-chan-"

"HAYATE-CHAN?! HIROMI, YOU'RE GOING TOO FAST! YOU'RE EXACTLY TEN AND SIXTY FIVE DAYS, CHILD! AKI HERE IS ELEVEN, AS IS RIN-CHAN! LISTEN TO THEM WHEN THEY SAY NO ROMANCE!" Arashi gained the attention of the twelve other students, who broke into excited chatter about my love life, except for the two Aburame kids in the corner, and that one sleeping Nara kid.

"Hayate is my kohai," I summarized. "He's not the subject of my romantic interest. My interest, as Rin-chan says, lies in guys my age."

 _What about Shisui? Technically he's younger,_ My logic informed me.

We'll get to that later, I assured myself.

"How about older? Aki's older. Obito's older. Kakashi-kun is older," Rin persisted.

"Okay, fine, my age and older." I didn't catch Aki's tension dissipate at those words.

The teacher came in. "Okay, kids, class is starting, please quiet down and find your seats. Today, we're catching up on our village's history-"

She tripped over a wire, regaining her balance, but the bucket of cold water fell. Followed by the hot water, then the confetti.

She stood up, sighing through her nose "...Inuzuka Akihiko."

Aki didn't bother hiding his grin. "Hm?"

"You're cleaning the classroom after dismissal; Ayato-san as well."

"Why me?" I politely inquired, while swearing in my head.

"You and Arashi are always his accomplices." She had finished wiping the confetti off of herself and got right into the lesson, drenched. "Anyway, as I was saying, we're having a history lesson. Can somebody tell me the name of the previous and current Hokages?"

The person who was picked named them. "Shodaime Senju Hashirama, Nidaime Senju Tobirama, and Sandaime Sarutobi Hiruzen."

The teacher nodded. "Correct. The shodaime hokage, Senju Hashirama-dono, had a kekkei genkai that was clearly gifted to him so he would have power to be our founder. He had a kekkei genkai called the mokuton. He had a combination of the water and earth elemental affinities, which has not appeared naturally in any other shinobi that we know of."

 _Until they violate him over and over again to satisfy their selfish desires._

….That sounded a little weird.

 _And yet again, Madara and his clan get no credit for founding Konoha._

"The Nidaime, Senju Tobirama-dono, wrote the shinobi rulebook for us and invented two jutsu: the Hiraishin and the Edo Tensei. He was a great man who also mentored our Sandaime for a bit, and he sacrificed himself for our village's safety, also entrusting it to Sarutobi-dono."

Also making Danzo incredibly jealous, since Sarutobi never actually acknowledged him as his rival. And then Tobirama died.

And you can shove that shinobi rulebook up his ass. 'Shinobi show no emotions' please fuck off.

Edo tensei had a stupid history, and Hiraishin is being used by Minato, so Tobirama is outdated. Tobirama times two equals Minato. Get it? Nidaime? Yondaime? 2x2=4? No?

Okay.

"Our sandaime is very strong, fair, and kind. He has supported our village through two wars, the last one, and this one. With him, it is very likely that Konoha will come out victorious...and of course, with Jiraya-sama's student, Kiiroi Senko, Namikaze Minato-sama."

Some retard called out, "Why is he called the 'Yellow Flash'?"

Obviously because he's a blond stripper.

"Namikaze-sama has taken the Hiraishin to a whole new level, and when he teleports, you can only see his blond hair flash," Miyu-sensei explained, wringing out her hair. "He's a very likely candidate for becoming the yondaime Hokage."

 _What if he dies?_

Shut up, logic.

"Namikaze-sama sounds like a cool and powerful shinobi," I commented lightly.

"This Minato guy probably isn't such a big deal, anyways," Arashi huffed. "Soon, me and Aki-"

"Aki and I," Rin corrected.

"Shit's the same thing," Aki dismissed. Arashi nodded in approval. "Soon, as soon as we become ninja, Aki and I will become the strongest duo in Konoha, and we'll eventually be even better than the Yellow Flash."

Aki nodded. "Of course we will."

Rin giggled. "I highly doubt it, Aki. You're lazy and you hardly ever train."

"I can do it," Aki protested. Then he turned to me, and his eyes lit up, kind of. "You'll watch and support me, right, Hiromi?"

"Yeah," I said. "I guess." His grin seemed to stretch even wider, and he contentedly turned back to Miyu-sensei. Arashi sniffed the air and grinned as well, settling down on Aki's head.

They keep grinning. What's wrong with them?

Hell if I know.

* * *

"Bye, guys!" Rin waved and ran off to her parents who were waiting for her. Aki, Arashi, and I had detention, so we stayed behind in the classroom. Even Miyu-sensei decided that we weren't worth her time and left us alone.

"It's just the three of us," Aki commented. "You know what that means."

"Prank time!" Arashi cheered.

I sighed, not wanting to be pulled into another troublesome situation. "Could I not-"

"You have to!" Aki protested, pulling the puppy eyes. Arashi did the same, naturally. "Pleaseeee?"

"...Fine." I didn't try to resist. "What's the plan?"

Arashi's eyes glinted maliciously. "My turn to pick the prank. So, since the damn teacher decided to leave children and a puppy alone in a room full of supplies, we will pull a prank on her."

I glanced outside the window to find a few masked shinobi patrolling the streets, tensed.

"...Maybe we could pull one on the ANBU as well," I suggested quietly. "We could bring some hungry Inuzuka dogs with us and throw a bacon-scented bomb on some ANBU. The Inuzuka pack is fierce, no?"

"Of course it is!" Aki sprinted across the room and set up the trap for Miyu-sensei. "We'll go through the window. Come on, people - and dog," he added quickly, "we gotta hustle to my house and grab the ingredients for this fiasco."

"Big word for a small brain," I commented.

"Shuddup, kōri-hime."

* * *

"I got the delicious-smelling smoke bombs," I held up four bombs.

"I'm telling everyone to stay together for the surprise," Aki turned to Arashi,

"And I've got the location of the ANBU," Arashi promised. "There's actually only three, so we have an extra bomb. The boar mask is behind that house, the cat mask is literally in front of us, and the monkey mask is leaning against that wall and reading his porn."

Icha-Icha is really popular already, huh.

I wonder if the scarecrow already reads porn. He seemed to be a porn professional by the time he became Naruto's sensei.

"On three." Aki counted on his fingers. "One, two, three!" He motioned, and I threw the bombs at the intended targets.

I hit them all in the chest.

Pranks also help your throwing accuracy and escape speed.

Aki whistled and the dogs, having been given permission, attacked the ANBU.

"GAH!"

It was a lovely afternoon.

"Dude, the cat's after us!" Arashi could barely stop cackling.

"Why don't we run," I gestured ahead, before my hand was caught by a gloved one. I looked up.

"So it was you who released the bombs, ojou-chan," Cat mused. "Monkey, Boar, I got the little brat and her friends."

Cat's friends flickered to the shaded branches with us. "A couple of genin playing a prank?" Monkey mused, rubbing his leg where his pants were torn.

I charged a little electricity to shock Cat enough to let go of me. "We're not even genin; we're still academy students." I grabbed Arashi and threw him. Quickly, I grabbed Aki's wrist and jumped off the tree, which seemed to snap his back into his senses.

He ran with me, picking up Arashi on the way. "Damn, Hiromi-sama, you're good," The Inuzuka boy whistled. "You might surpass your fellow pranker one day."

"Why thank you," I accepted his praise happily.

We ended up at the Hokage's office anyway.

* * *

"...I apologize, Hokage-sama, ANBU," Aito bowed ninety degrees in apology for his son.

"Geez, Hiruzen, Hiromi-chan and Aki-chan didn't do anything wrong. They just pulled a harmless prank. In fact, that's why Hiromi-chan suggested it, right? You must've felt the air heavy with tension," Yukino cooed to her granddaughter.

"Yes," I murmured. In front of the four new people, I could barely talk without stuttering. "I s-sincerely apologiz-apologize." Aaaand I stuttered anyways.

"...It was kind of relieving to run from hungry dogs instead of enemy shinobi for once," Cat admitted. Bitch you were the one who grabbed me-

"...I guess it's fine," Monkey decided. "My Icha-Icha was complemented by one of the pack, anyway." Aito shuddered.

"It's fine," Boar huffed. Tsundere.

"If they forgive them, it's all fine. I applaud your instincts and escape speed, Hiromi, Aki. The ANBU members say they were impressed with your skill, especially since you're still in the academy."

"Stupid ANBU," Arashi muttered, feeling left out. I picked him up and scratched his ears. "...Th-thank you for forgiving us."

"Thanks," Aki grouched.

"The rest of you are dismissed. Yukino, please stay a bit longer; I wish to discuss Hiromi."

 _Me? Why?_

"Again?" Grandma whined.

 _Conspiracy detected. Interrogate entrant._

Welp. This won't end well.


	11. Shisho

_The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it._

 _-Molière_

* * *

Today, I was to stay after class so Miyu-sensei could speak to me.

I did not know why, but I was hoping she didn't want to speak to me about Aki's latest prank. That would be boring.

Anyway, when she came in, she sat down on her desk, and I sat on one in front of her. I inquired, "Why did you h-have me stay af-after class?"

"I have news for you, that may or may not be good," she said mysteriously.

 _Bitch._

"Well, g-go ahead," I stuttered impatiently.

"After speaking to your grandmother-" _Oh mai gawd_ \- "-the Hokage has decided that you are competent in shinobi skills already and will graduate you from the academy early."

No!

"W-why?" I stuttered. "I can't do n-ninjutsu!"

"Your genjutsu and taijutsu more than makes up for that," Miyu-sensei dismissed.

 _No!_

"M-my kenjutsu isn't that advanced yet…." I was running out of excuses.

"You'll get the hang of it eventually," She comforted me.

 _NAO!_

"B-besides, don't fresh genin have to be on teams with two others f-from the same class?" I stumbled through my sentences, still not adapted to this foreign tongue.

"It's all been planned out," Miyu-sensei assured me, much to my dismay. "You are a prodigy that is similar to the previous, that Hatake kid, so Hokage-sama decided to place you under a mentor that your Grandmother suggested."

"Wh-who would that be?" I put on a mask of calm.

 _This 'mentor' better not be a jerk._

"I think you've heard of him; he's an acquaintance of Aki-kun's older sister," she smiled at me "His name is Nara Shikaku."

"...Older sister?" I had not known this information.

Sensei looked puzzled. "Aki-kun's older sister...you've never met her? Strange...her name is Inuzuka Tsume."

Aaand stabbed straight through the kidney.

I died on the spot, my friends. No more Ayato Hiromi. Sayonara.

Of freaking course. Inuzuka Tsume. Aki was the heir, maybe because his sister wanted to roam around like a free wolf; but she _did_ become the clan head later on in the story, so...

 _Something must have happened to Aki._

You need to _shut_ your ass up before I spank it.

"The Nara clan head," I deadpanned to be completely sure.

Miyu-sensei nodded. "You'll meet him in the Hokage's office now; after I relayed the information to you, they told me to let you know that they are expecting you."

"Yes," I mumbled. She patted my head "You've been under my wing for a while, Hiromi-chan. I trust that you will do fine as his apprentice."

"Thanks," I murmured, and took my leave.

I stood outside the Hokage's office, one hand on the door.

 _Just open the damn door._

But I don't wanna meet the guy...he's the head of the Nara clan! And he's Shikamaru's father!

 _Don't be an idiot. It's not like he'll beat you up._

He'll make me feel stupid!

"Hiromi-chan," An old voice called from inside, "come on in. I can feel your chakra."

 _Losahhhhhhh-_

Hush.

I shrunk down my chakra to the size of my confidence and timidly entered the room. "Ex-excuse me…"

I entered to find myself alone with the Hokage and the Nara clan head.

I couldn't see them, but I knew there were hidden Anbu somewhere in the office.

 _We're in hell. We're not gonna make it out alive, dear~_

Shut up.

"This is the prodigy you told me about?" Shikaku droned, seemingly unimpressed as he scanned my short figure. "She looks more like a porcelain doll. If I poked her…" he crouched down to my height. "She'd probably shatter into a million pieces."

"Don't judge her by her cover, Shikaku," Hokage-sama defended me. "She's actually very strong, genjutsu-wise."

"I heard she was unable to use ninjutsu," Shikaku drawled, still unimpressed. he stood back up. "She's too tiny to be a ninja. She'll be the first to die on the battlefield."

The Hokage sighed. "Her grandmother is an old friend of mine...she explained to me all her strengths and weaknesses. I thinks she's ready to do a few infiltration missions. We need more men out on the field anyway."

"She'll die," Shikaku turned toward the Hokage lazily. "Porcelain doll."

 _Do I, the subject, get a say in this? You can't swing this on me from the left field~_

I scowled, then pouted. Shoulda seen this comin'. Shikaku's where Shikamaru got his asshole-ness from.

"Hiromi-chan is small," Hiruzen agreed, "which is why she'll be perfect for infiltration tasks. As demonstrated right now, under pressure, she can shrink down her chakra signature. You can hardly feel her presence; and she's very light. She moves with no sound. I'm sure you've noticed all these things ever since she came in."

 _Ya shoulda seen dis comin'. He's a shadow user. He's always lurking in the corner, stalkin' ya._

I'm sure he isn't that bad…

Shikaku nodded to the Hokage's words. "But can she defend herself?"

 _Bitch! Bitch, bitch hurry and JUMP!_

I leapt back, to barely avoid a shadow snagging mine. _Damn these ceiling lights, am I right?_

Shut up.

"...She is a good sensor," Shikaku relented.

 _Stupid Shikaku. Deer graze on grass peacefully. He's a freakin' horse, galloping over my efforts._

They're _my_ efforts.

 _Bitch, we're the same person._

Split personalities are troublesome.

 _Just marry Shikaku already, then. Hmph._

"This mission is why I decided to promote her," The Hokage tossed a scroll to Shikaku. "We have to infiltrate this Iwagakure base. We only recently discovered it. Hiromi-chan's mother is out doing something else, so we have to settle for her daughter."

 _Love ya too._ I gave a mental two-finger salute.

"This...isn't too far from our village," Shikaku said neutrally.

On one hand, if he was worried about me, then this mission seemed pretty safe.

 _But on the other hand, how to hell did they only just discover something so close to the village?_

"I suggest you two get going." The Hokage then dismissed the two of us.

Shikaku gestured with his head for me to follow him, which I did quietly. He led me to the Nara clan compound and directed me to his room.

"Sit," he told me, and I did so immediately, my butt hitting the floor with a soft thump. He sighed and sat across from me, setting up the shogi pieces.

 _Of-freakin'-course. He's gonna try and read ya through this game~_

I already know that; I'm not dumb.

I would like to say that I held my ground in the game, but I counted on the wall clock, and I lasted exactly two minutes and three seconds.

"Checkmate," Shikaku yawned. I stared hard at my knees in the seiza position, which were trembling.

 _People sit like this every day in this world, Hi-ro-mi-chan._

Go burn in Tartarus.

"I analyzed your strategy," I felt Shikaku turn his eyes onto my form. "It seems that you like to play it safe, and you seem to recoil at every little hindrance in your plan. You never take chances, and you adapt your plans to the new environment."

Not knowing what to do, I simply nodded.

He continued to study me. "You stutter a lot, and you don't seem to talk much either...you might be stuttering because you're not used to talking, huh?"

I nodded.

He sighed. "Say it."

"Y-yes," I stumbled through that word out of fear. He was studying me like bacteria under a microscope.

"You're awfully shy as well," he observed brilliantly. "The Hokage spoke to me before you arrived. He told me that he expects me to help boost your self-confidence and intelligence." He handed me a file. I opened it and saw my stats, all laid out on a page.

 _They were stalking us._

Shoulda seen this coming too.

Ninjutsu: 2

Taijutsu: 3

Genjutsu: 5

Intelligence: 4

Strength: 4

Speed: 4

Stamina: 3

Hand seals: 4

I had a total of 29 points, which was four less than Kakashi's original 33 points.

 _Don't feel too bad._

Not helping.

"Since you are able to summon your cats at a young age, like your father before you," Shikaku explained, "they marked your ninjutsu talent as two. If not, you would've had a one, or possibly a zero for that."

I winced. That sounds terrible.

He sighed. "Tell me what you think of this. Don't just keep it all inside that cute little head of yours."

I swallowed. "This...I got a higher score than I had anti-anticipated. I thought m-maybe I would have a 25, at b- at best."

"...Don't degrade yourself." He stood up, and I hurriedly did so as well. "See you tomorrow at the gates for the mission, 6AM _sharp._ No need to pack anything besides your weapons." he led me to the door, said goodnight, and slammed it in my face.

I gave a sarcastic smile to the closed door before humming to myself and heading home.

I made it home safely and went straight to bed after setting my alarm, trying to ignore everything that had happened that day. I now had to go on an infiltration mission…

Tomorrow…

With Nara Shikaku…

To be accomplished without fail.

That night, I dreamed about stuffing myself with cake until I exploded. I woke up refreshed and ready to get my sleuth on.


	12. Sayuri

"Ready?" Shikaku was there waiting for me when I got there. "You're two minutes late."

On impulse, I grabbed the first thing I could grab- my handkerchief- and threw it at his face. "Sor- _ry_ that I couldn't meet your expectations." My face burned from embarrassment once I realized what I had dsaid.

Shikaku chuckled and messed up my hair, giving my handkerchief back. "C'mon, let's go."

"Okay," I murmured and followed after him as he ran at probably his slowest speed, since I could match up at my top speed.

 _He's a warrior…_

Shuddup.

We got to the base after a while, and he grabbed me and pulled us behind a bush. "Chakra," he mumbled. I got the hint and suppressed my chakra signature. A hand twitch showed that he was impressed.

 _Yeshhhhhhhh-_

"I sense people," he said, quieter than a whisper. "Listen in."

I nodded and used my cat summoning contract to enhance my hearing.

 _"Heh, those Konoha bastards won't know what's coming to them!"_

 _"They haven't even noticed that we built a base so close to their damn village…"_

 _"It's just us three left here. We gotta throw a few bombs on Konoha and back out, alright?"_

 _"...But what about-"_

The feminine voice was cut off by the other two men.

 _"Oh, shut it, Nanako! Just leave her here and be done with it. She's too small to survive much longer anyway."_

 _"She's the only family I have left-"_

 _"Na-na-ko-chan. What did I say? She's going to die soon; just leave her."_

 _"Scatter!"_

I couldn't hear their breathing in the room any longer, and I turned to Shikaku who was watching out for enemies. He noticed my fidgeting. "Well?"

"There's three...t-two men and a woman. They scattered and they're on t-their way to destroy Konoha with a su-surprise attack…"

"Let's go stop them," Shikaku got to his feet. I shook my head wildly. "No!"

Shikaku looked confused as all fuck. "What?"

"N-no, I meant," I waved my hands wildly, "I think they l-left a child alone in the hideout to d-die on her own. I meant for you to s-stop them and for me to f-find the child."

Shikaku looked unsure. "I shouldn't leave you alone...are you sure there's still someone in there?"

"Positive." I stared at him determinedly.

He gave a little smile and messed up my hair. "You're a lot more reliable on the field, eh? I trust you. Good luck." He disappeared.

Wow.

 _FANTASTIC BABY-_

Shut up. I have work to do.

 _You mean we?_

Just me.

 _But-_

"I have to go rescue the kid," I mumbled, and took careful steps to the building, then slipping inside.

* * *

I should've just went with Shikaku.

The whole freaking place was rigged with traps. I was listening, following the sound of crying, but there were so many dead ends, and I always ended up stepping on the wrong brick and sending kunai my way.

I decided to just punch through the walls and I eventually reached the source of the crying. It was a little girl, maybe five or six, and she was sobbing her eyes out. I knelt down next to her. "Hey."

She turned to me, still sobbing. "H-help me…" I finally noticed that she had blood seeping from a wound on her chest that had been terribly stitched up.

Did those people really torment a little girl and lock her in a cell?

...Man, I really want to make them suck deez _nuts_.

 _But you're a girl-_

"My name is Hiromi," I ignored my logic, healing her wound. I could at least make sure it doesn't open before getting her to professional doctors back in Konoha.

She began crying even harder.

"Who brought you here?" I tried again, softly. She calmed down a little and sniffed. "They said they were going to steal my...um...kekkei...genkai…?"

 _KEKKEI FREAKING GENKAI?!_

"Bloodline limit…" I muttered, then took out my handkerchief and wiped the blood off her face. "Terrible. Well, do you know what a bloodline limit is?"

She nodded, still trembling. "They s-said since I could make things small, I was special...they w-wanted to open me and…" she began wailing.

 _She can change mass? Never seen that before…_

"What's your name, cutie?" I continued wiping her face.

"S-Sayuri," she whimpered at the pain from her cut. I noticed that the room was shrinking, now smaller than before.

 _She's distressed. Cheer her up...this room might squeeze us to death if you don't!_

"I...whatever. C'mon, Sayu, let's get outta here," I dropped the bloody rag and swooped her up in my arms. "I'm here to rescue you, princess."

She giggled. " My 'Prince Charming'!" she cheered. I began going back to way I came in, only to find that the sun was high already. _Did navigating the place really take that long? We got here at around seven, didn't we?! Now it's gotta be two already, the sun's so hot…_

"Pretty," Sayu mumbled.

"Hmm?"

"Sun...pretty," she giggled again, her tears drying.

 _How long has it been since she's seen the sun?_

"Let's get you to Konoha," I smiled at her. Her eyes widened. "K-konoha…?" She began shaking her head frantically. "Nee-chan said Konoha is a bad place! They kill each other, even though they fought beside each other, and they are cruel…"

"I'm a Konoha shinobi," I said smoothly. "I'm also your prince, Sayu. Have I mistreated you?"

She paused, frowning "N-no...but nee-chan said-"

"Your sister is by the name of Nanako, yes?"

Sayu's eyes widened. "Mhm, you know her?!" She grinned widely. "I haven't seen her in a while…"

"She was worried about you," I informed her, "and so am I. Just don't stereotype every Konoha shinobi together, okay?"

She nodded vigorously, then she grinned. "To Konoha, then, my prince!" she cheered again.

 _Little girls and their fairy tales…_

I took her to Konoha. I did the right thing.

But my ass got burned for it.

* * *

I got yelled at by Shikaku for going on ahead without him.

"You were supposed to stay put and await further orders," he ranted. "I found your handkerchief and it was covered in blood, but I didn't find a corpse, so I thought they captured you! You should've known better-"

And blah blah blah, so on.

Shikaku calmed down. "I heard you rescued a little girl," he changed the subject.

"Yes. What happened to the people you were chasing, _shisho?_ "

He looked uncomfortable. "Suicide bombers."

 _Sayuri has no more family, then._

"The little girl I picked up is the sister of the girl in the unit. I think she has no more family in Iwa," I explained.

"You're not stuttering," Shikaku noticed. "So you must be sure of what you're saying. Hmm…"

"Can she stay in Konoha?" I questioned.

"She might be a spy, Hiromi," Shikaku scolded me. "Don't be so open-minded."

 _Screw you too._

"If she's not, can she?"

"If you take full responsibility of her, I don't see why not…"

I allowed myself a small smile.

 _Take care of Sayu, eh?. **..she will help you with your plan, will she not? She has quite the valuable and unique bloodline limit. You can grow close to her and manipulate her as you wish to achieve more power. You can use this 'Sayuri' child.**_ _Sayu is cute. I have no problem with it._

"I will r-report the mission to the Hokage," I mumbled, daily dose of confidence drained.

"I'll go with you." Shikaku offered a half-smirk and led me away.

* * *

 **Eh? What is this? Hiromi's always had the 'logic and opinions' part of her conversing with her...but there is a new, evil presence...**


	13. Unwanted

Shortly after graduation, Shikaku had some special missions to do where he couldn't take me with him since they were _too dangerous._ I wasn't allowed to go with him, and one time, I got sent on a life-changing mission. So, one time, I got assigned to a team that the Hokage told me that I would love.

"I was told you're close to one of the members of this team," he smiled kindly at me. "I'm sure you'll enjoy working beside them, Hiromi-chan."

And when I got there, guess what?

 _It was team fucking seven!_

"Wow," I said, looking around at the trio. The blond, scarecrow, and annoying squealing girl hugging me tightly.

"Hiro-chaaan!" Rin practically purred. "You're here! I was so bored…"

"You can have as much _fun_ as you want with Kakashi in the b-bedroom." Rin blinked innocently at me, not understanding, but Minato and Kakashi gave me _looks._

"I don't think Kakashi-kun likes playing dress-up," Rin said, confused.

"You'll just be d-ditching the clothes anyway," I dismissed, sitting down against a tree. "Where's the third one?"

"...Shikaku didn't say that you'd be so crude," Minato finally said. "Are you always like this to strangers?"

 _Just for scarecrows who chidori their friends and blonds make their sons orphans!_

Well said.

"Show some respect," Kakashi said snottily. "Minato-sensei and I are your superiors."

I glared at him, and he made the mistake of meeting my eyes. I cast the hell's viewing technique on him and he froze, terror sweat forming on his face. I didn't move a muscle. "He finally shut up."

"Hiro-chan!" Rin scolded me. "You shouldn't be so mean to Kakashi-kun! He just became a jonin today!"

"At thirteen?" I raised an eyebrow at him, who had been released from the genjutsu by Minato. He glared at me. I yawned. "That's not gonna teach him r-responsibility."

"I hear that _you_ were also a prodigy," Kakashi practically _growled_ at me, "but you're still a genin. You're probably as weak as them." He gestured to Rin, eying the tanto strapped to _my_ back. I gave a small grin. "Repeat that."

"I said-" Rin kicked him where it hurt before he could continue. "You'd best stop talking before she destroys you."

 **It's nice to have a kinda-slave.**

Yep.

Then, a body came crashing down on the grass. Kakashi stepped over to him. The boy looked up. "Did I make it?"

"No, Obito, you're late!" Kakashi then proceeded to talk about how there was no way somebody always needed Obito's help and that he should follow the rules or he'd be regarded as scum.

 _Yeah yeah yeah, whatever. Stop talking before I rip your dick off._

Not that he has one at this age.

 _Agreed._

We headed on our merry way. Minato said some stuff about Kakashi being a jonin and that he would be splitting up the teams.

"Kakashi will go with Obito and Rin. Shikaku has requested that Hiromi-chan keep an eye on you guys," Minato smiled at me. "I hope they're not too much trouble."

 _Fuck._

Kakashi looked like he wanted to object, but outwardly, he nodded. "I understand."

Then we started discussing the mission. Tsuchi's invading Kusa and one thousand shinobi have been gathered, our target is Iwa, blah blah blah. Minato went on to discuss Kannabi Bridge and the mission being an infiltration one.

"Your mission is to infiltrate the enemy's rear territory. You will destroy this bridge, which is used to transport supplies and reinforcements. And when this is done, withdraw immediately."

"Yes, sir!" They chorused. I gulped. _Kannabi bridge mission._

 **You will survive.**

 _Hopefully,_ survive.

"What about you, sensei?" Obito questioned.

"I'll face the enemy directly on the battlefront," Minato said confidently. "I'll create a diversion for you."

Then he went on to talk about how we needed to respect Kakashi as he was the captain. We put our hands together, confirmed it, and headed off.

You should know the rest. We get ambushed, Kakashi uses his chidori, Minato kills the real enemy, Kakashi gets healed by Rin, and they trade insults. Then Minato lectures them about teamwork.

"We should find some rest for the night," The blond finalizes, making Kakashi glare at Obito. "Try to keep up next time, _Uchiha."_

Obito bristled but held his tongue. Rin flashed a _God help me_ eye roll and I sighed. "Teammates, huh?"

"I'm sorry, Ayato-chan," Minato apologized, kneeling down to face me. "They aren't usually like this…"

I shrugged, which made Minato sigh in defeat, sulking. "You're not very social, are you."

I smiled and patted his head like I would do to comfort a child. "It's okay. You're still special."

Minato sniffed.

 _What the flying fuck is this scene_

I don't even know.

I, the ultimate idiot, had not brought a sleeping bag, and Rin tried to convince me to share hers to which I openly and loudly replied _FUCK no,_ and I had 'wandered off' for the night.

I was, in reality, stalking Minato and Obito having the conversation about Kakashi's father. This time, when Minato mentioned Sakumo, the scene did not change to show the silhouettes of Sakumo and Kakashi.

 _Awww...is it because I'm not the audience anymore…?_

It's too bad, really…

"So try to understand Kakashi's situation, okay?" Minato asked Obito, who nodded and went back to his sleeping bag to catch some rest.

"Come on out, Ayato-chan," Minato called. I froze. What-

 _You didn't shrink your chakra you moron!_

Ya coulda reminded me.

I reluctantly landed behind him. He gestured for me to sit next to him, and I did.

"Have you heard about Kakashi before?" Minato gazed up at the moon.

 _He has Naruto's...or rather, Naruto has his eyes._

"I heard that Sakumo-san started a war to protect his friends, but they didn't appreciate it, and that Kakashi hated him too, actually."

Minato glanced at me briefly. "Not sure where you heard that, but...I suppose Kakashi did hate his father for bringing home dishonor. Maybe that's what led Sakumo to his death."

"You have to believe in your family," I said helpfully. Minato raised an eyebrow. "Shikaku actually told me that you haven't spoken to or seen your mother in a few years."

"She's still alive?" I asked. Minato sighed. "You're one to talk about family…"

"You probably still have your V-card anyway," I muttered.

 _Well that was random, you pervert._

I didn't talk loudly, but he still heard me. _Shit._ He stiffened, but then buried his face in his hands. "...I'll have you know that I lost it already," he mumbled, ears burning red.

I smiled evilly. "Oh boy, a new story to tell my little sister!"

He peeked out of his hands warily. "...Please don't spread that story around…"

"Shikaku-shisho would _love_ to hear about how you bragged about losing your…'V-card'...to his innocent little apprentice, wouldn't he?" I put on an innocent face, and Minato groaned and shoved my face away. "Get out, you little gremlin," he scoffed with an embarrassed smile on his face.

I just gave an evil giggle. "Of course…"

I woke up the next morning with my head on Minato's lap, who was still sitting cross-legged. "You're up early," he said with a tired smile. "It's almost dawn."

"You didn't sleep," I finally realized. _Of COURSE not; he had to take care of four children._

Well, now I feel guilty. **It was his job. You shouldn't be feeling** _**anything.**_

...Okay then.

"I had to watch over my little genin...and a young gremlin too," he joked. I sat cross-legged next to him. "Sorry about falling asleep on you."

"It's fine. I moved you to my lap before your skull cracked on the rock; no big deal," he said sarcastically. "For that feat of kindness, I hope you won't talk about what we... _discussed_ last night."

"What did you _discuss_ last night?" A douchebag asked from behind us. I turned around slowly and glared at the silver-haired bastard. "Kakashi! Lovely being ac-acquainted with you so early in the morning," I said sarcastically.

"What did you two discuss?" Kakashi repeated. Minato smiled at him. "Nothing at all."

I think Kakashi may have actually been pouting.

When we woke up Obito and Rin, Obito called Kakashi 'captain' and we all made a smiley face and headed off.

In the first ten minutes, the enemy came and we had to stop to fight them. Obito blew them a flaming kiss and burnt the bamboo thingys, which conveniently fell into the lake we were on.

 _This is where Rin gets kidnapped!_

Oh shit.

Suddenly, someone grabbed me and attempted to knock me out. I logged them and made eye contact, causing him to pass out to the ground. So they tried to kidnap _me_ this time.

 _The fuck is Rin!?_

I turned around, frantically trying to sense Rin's chakra signature, and saw her frozen in fear behind Obito and Kakashi, who were distracted by the visible enemy.

 _We got rid of one; Kakashi's dealing with the second._

So Rin's safe?

 _We can't hear anyone else, can we?_

No…

 _She'll be fine. Deal with the other one before he kidnaps Obito or something._

Copy that.

Afro-dude tried to get to Rin, who was still frozen, and I threw a kunai which hit him in the shoulder, causing him to fall into the lake.

 _He didn't even notice us._

I feel left out…

 _It's good to be unnoticed; you're a ninja._

Sigh.

Kakashi knocked out the man who fell into the river, and they were both passed out. I smiled. "Well, couldn't have done that without me!"

"...Let's proceed," was Kakashi's intelligent reply.

I saved Obito!

 _But now Kakashi will never get Obito's UNAWAKENED Sharingan._

Hey, if Kakashi could give his Sharingan for his friends back, I'm positive that he would. Plus, I'll deal with Obito later...huehuehue…

 _...Okay then._

"Hiro-chan!" Rin wailed, tackling me in a hug and clinging onto me like a baby koala onto its mother. "I was so scared…"

"Get off me." I shoved her onto the water, which she landed on. _Dat chakra control doe._ "We have to finish the mission now."

"Don't be so mean to Rin!" Obito raged.

"You're just jealous that Rin hugged me and not you," I dismissed. "Now if we don't destroy the bridge, this war will carry on and destroy the village."

Obito, blushing, reluctantly let it go, but not without a glare.

 _He still doesn't have his Sharingan…_

We'll be getting _very_ familiar with him soon, don't worry…

 **MWAHAHAHA!**

Nice touch.

 **I do try.**

After the mission, I returned to the village where they were all waiting for the return of the Yellow Flash and his students.

 **There's no room for you in this village, you know. You're an extra.**

I know.

 **Nobody's even waiting for you; the villagers don't even know you exist!**

I know…

 **You're not needed in Konoha. Nobody needs or even wants you,** _ **Holly.**_

I know…!

 **Why don't we take a little break from being a shinobi of Konoha…? Just a little vacation as a missing-nin sounds fun, doesn't it? Nobody would even notice you were missing. Look just how much** _ **they**_ **care.**

"Hiromi!"

I looked up from my spot under the tree. "..Kaa-chan…?"

She grinned at me. "Our schedules finally matched, huh? I heard you went with the Yellow Flash to Kannabi Bridge."

I nodded.

"Ya did a great job, you know, you helped stop the whole war. You take after my awesomeness so much, huh?" She ruffled my hair. "You are indeed my daughter."

My chest swelled with pride. "...Yeah. I guess so."

"Let's go for some food to celebrate, hmm? Your new sister is waiting for you." I looked in the direction she was pointing, where Aki was waving at me with Sayuri on his shoulders. "Welcome back!"

 _They're all waiting for you._

"Hiro-chan!" Rin waved at me. "You wanna come with us to get some ramen?" I saw that a blond and redhead were making out furiously behind her and made a face. "Um…"

"Let's all go," Sorano suggested. "We haven't had a meal together in a while, have we?"

"No," I said uncertainly. "But I don't like crowds…"

"We're all family here, Hiromi," _Mom_ assured me, and dragged me toward them.

"Wait, nee-chan!" Sayuri squealed and Aki began running. "I'm gunna fall-!"

 **Tch.**

I guess it isn't so bad, huh?

 **Just wait. You'll see, they don't care. They'll all die and leave you behind.**

I'll protect them. _Who are you anyway?_

 **All you need to know is that I am always watching over you. You'll learn to heed my advice soon enough, foolish girl.**

Get outta here, you party pooper…

" **I have to report back...she's not giving up,"** the figure muttered, melting into the tree.


	14. Sasori

"We have a new mission," Shikaku announced. "We are to infiltrate Sunagakure and retrieve a few hostages."

"But Suna is hot," I objected quietly. He flicked my forehead. "You're a shinobi- hey, stop pouting. Your kitten eyes are starting to lose effect on me, too, so give it up." He messed up my hair. "We have a few people to rescue."

I sighed, leaning back against the tree I was standing against. "When do we leave?"

"An hour from now-" I huffed. "Were we specifically asked to go on this mission?"

Shikaku shrugged. "The Hokage suggested this mission for us...even though the war is over, that was only between Konoha, Iwa, and Kumo. Kiri and Suna haven't heard about it yet, but we'll be making a peace treaty soon."

"If we're infiltrating and rescuing, then why is it only a lazy Nara and his even lazier apprentice?" I questioned. He looked a little miffed. "I can concentrate when I want to! I'm the advisor. I can formulate a plan. The Hokage trusted your genjutsu enough to send us on this mission. You should be _honored,_ it's an A-Rank!"

"The missions I go on _do_ pay very well," I agreed, standing up straight. "Do I need anything special on this trip?"

"Well, considering we're infiltrating, you should probably bring a little silence," Shikaku joked dryly.

"Love you too." I yawned, covering my mouth with my hand. "May I go now?"

"You're dismissed," Shikaku waved me away. "I don't want to deal with you any more than I must."

 _We're always getting that from adults, aren't we?_

Yep.

* * *

I left Sayu with Aki, who was more than happy to play with her. I gave Arashi, the more responsible of the two specific instructions.

"Sayu's bedtime is seven o'clock. Read her a bedtime story and leave a candle burning as she falls asleep, since she's afraid of the dark. Also, she can only have soft foods high in nutritional value; I recommend scrambled eggs and rice. She may not have snacks between meals and she will have a warm red apple after dinner."

"Does green work-"

"Green apples are for the weak."

"Yeah," Arashi deadpanned with sarcasm. "Should've known. Have a safe trip. Bye."

"See you soon, nee-chan!" Sayu grinned adorably before Aki rudely shut the door in my face.

I met with Shikaku near the entrance of the village, and he looked at my civilian-like appearance: a T-shirt, shorts, sandals, and a backpack.

"What is it with you and blue?" He asked, observing my matching outfit and backpack. "Your typical work outfit is blue as well, come to think of it…"

" _Sunny ocean blue_ ," I corrected him. He sighed. "Doesn't the perk of wearing your favorite color all the time wear off?"

"Blue's my second favorite color. My favorite color is yellow," I corrected him again. He groaned in frustration and turned away from me. "Troublesome child. If we're fast enough, we can get to Suna within two days."

"Considering that there's no sandstorms," I added. He nodded. "You know your stuff, huh?"

I put on a wide, boasting smile. "Of course. I am _the_ Ayato Hiromi, after all!"

Apparently my rare enthusiasm was contagious, because Shikaku's annoyance at me was quickly forgotten and me smiled too. "Of course. Now we need to start running or the hostages will have died already."

* * *

Sunagakure no Sato is the hottest place ever.

I have a naturally cool body temperature, so I'm always cold, but in the sunny _desert,_ it's so hot. Luckily, I had brought a blue parasol with me in case this happened. I flipped it open and rested it on my shoulder, letting out a content smile. Shikaku sighed. "Leaving your shisho to suffer in the heat…"

"You're a grown man and the Hokage's advisor," I retorted. "Find a way to keep yourself cool." I made a show of looking his civilian attire up and down. "Wearing black, huh?"

"Using my knowledge of science," he defended himself weakly. "Anyway, we're pretending to be villagers. Mission objective is to retrieve the shinobi in the basement of the center of the village."

"But it'll be filled with Sand ninja near the center," I objected, then my eyes widened. "Oh."

"That's why this is an infiltration mission," he joked dryly. "There are respected shinobi families near the center as well, so be careful. Make sure nobody sees you."

"Same for you, old man," I retorted, snapping my parasol shut and strapping it to my back. I had sealed my backpack away on a scroll in a pouch located on my left buttcheek.

 _Too much information!_

Precision is the key, my friends.

Beginning to sweat under the hot sun, I glanced around to find that Shikaku had already disappeared off somewhere.

I only noticed that while I was lost in my train of thought, I was still walking and bumped into someone. We both stumbled back. I immediately bowed. "I'm sorry!"

"I haven't seen you around before," the lady sounded suspicious. I jerked up straight, then stiffened.

 _It's Chiyo._

Chiyo…?

 _Sasori's grandmother!_

Me ded af

"I've not been a-around this part before," I stuttered.

"Strange. I'm an old lady, I know all the residents of the village and I've never seen you before. You have vibrant eyes."

I flinched. _Suna doesn't really have bright eyes, come to think of it...Gaara's blue wasn't bright either._

I saw a flash pass me and something was thrust into my hand. I took a look at it. "Oh, ah...I'm here to...order a puppet!" I showed her the paper. She checked it over. "A foreigner…? I see. You're here to buy a puppet from my grandson."

"Yeah," I gave a nervous smile. "But I don't have the directions, so I was wandering around…"

"I see. In that case, I'd be happy to show you," she sounded a little relieved and began walking, with me trailing after her like a baby penguin. I noticed Shikaku leaning against a tree out of Chiyo's line of vision, giving me a wink and a smile. I smiled back.

 _Thanks for the assist, man._

I would be honored to play basketball with you.

 _Too bad they don't do that over here._

Yeah...and why does she look so relieved?

 _She's probably happy to have an excuse to see Sasori. While you're here, might as well do something useful._

Maybe. I don't know. I _do_ love doing absolutely nothing.

We arrived _somewhere_ and she led me into the basement. "Sasori! You have a customer!"

A pink-haired boy was tinkering with something under a lamp, and at the sound of his grandmother calling out, he turned around and stood up. "A customer?"

He came forward and took the paper from my hands. His eyes widened a fraction and they seemed to shine. "This is...detailed. Who sent you?"

"My master sent me," I said truthfully. "Why? What's wrong?"  
He showed me the paper to look over.

I scanned the paper. Typical genius Nara calculations. "This isn't so surprising," I replied. He took the paper back. "Usually customers just ask for a random puppet I can make. This is a very specific order. A gift for an important person?"

 _This boy is actually making conversation!_

"I am only running an errand, I don't have details," I smiled politely. "When should I return?"

"With the time needed to...hmm...come back the day after tomorrow. It should be done by then."

"So soon?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"I don't like keeping people waiting." He turned around and headed back to his work table. Chiyo looked after him with sad eyes, eventually leading me back out onto the street. I decided to make some conversation,

"Your grandson is very handsome," I said, acting like a typical fangirl to not arouse suspicion. "Would you happen to know what he likes in a girl?"  
"I…" Chiyo looked at a loss for words.

"You don't know?" I feigned innocence. "A grandmother is supposed to spoil her grandchildren with love and kisses and sweets. How is it that you don't know anything about Sasori-san?"

She was silent.

"Perhaps some quality time with him would do," I suggested. "It's not healthy for him to not get any sunlight. Vitamin D is very important to a growing youth. Also, stress from doing the same thing over and over might lead to depression and cut his lifespan in half."

At this, she looked alarmed, but then narrowed her eyes. "A small child shouldn't know this."  
I shrugged. "My shisho is very intelligent. Now, please excuse me." I left her behind me to think about what I'd said, and she after a few moments, she quickly rushed back into the house. Once I was alone, Shikaku flickered into existence.

"I had to intervene before you blew your cover," Shikaku reprimanded me. "I had just left! How irresponsible are you to zone out in the middle of a mission?"

"Very," I responded. "Now, do you have any money for a puppet that specific? I have to r-retrieve it in two days."

He showed me his fat wallet. "I'll pay, and you can keep it. Consider it a souvenir from the mission."

I grinned. "Thanks, old man!"

He shrugged nonchalantly, typical Nara fashion. "Don't mention it. Now, let's go find the prison."

* * *

Overall, the mission was very boring. We located the hostages, but in order to follow through with the puppet order, we told them to stay there for a little while longer. Shikaku and I used his fatass wallet to rent out a room at an inn.

"Why are they even letting us stay during a time of war?" I questioned.

Shikaku shrugged. "I guess they don't have an intelligent advisor, like me," he boasted. I gave him a small, sarcastic smile that I seemed to be using a lot these days. "Yeah. Of course."

* * *

"Here for the puppet!" I burst into Sasori's 'lab', glowing with energy. "Good afternoon, Sasori-san!"

"Afternoon?" He asked, never looking up. "I wouldn't know. I've not seen the sun today."

"Or yesterday...or the day before that, or at least for weeks," I popped up next to him, inspecting his pale skin. "Anyway, where's my order?"

He threw a little human at me. "The cost for the puppet is 1,000 ryo."

I experimented with the little strings attached to it, making the figure do a funny dance. "It's actually a marionette. A puppet is a cloth body with a hand shoved up its ass."

Sasori took the money from me. "...I did not have the knowledge in my possession before."

"You probably didn't," I agreed, making a 'Nice Guy' pose with the marionette. "You also probably didn't know that I was a ninja from another village."

"Your chakra signature showed that you were an active kunoichi," he dismissed. "And I don't particularly care for the village."

I frowned. _This guy hasn't made much progress...but at least he's holding a conversation with me, I guess…_

"I just wanted to let you know that the war was over. Anyway... **I look forward to when we meet again, Aka-"** I cut myself off. _What was that? He can't know he would become Akasuna no Sasori…_

He studied me, probably knowing that I was withholding information but not particularly caring. "Have a nice day." He returned to his wood works,

 _Well if he isn't just the perfect party starter._

"...Don't waste your youth withering away, Sasori." I spun on my heel, but he grabbed my arm. "Tell grandmother I said yes."

"Okay!" I agreed instantly, adjusted to randomness. "I'm sure we'll meet again when we're older! Two decades, maybe…"

He released me and proceeded to ignore my existence. I bounced up the stairs to his grandmother. "Chiyo-obaa-sama! Sasori-san told me to tell you he said yes!"

She looked surprised, then relieved. "Ah...thank you."

"What's that about?" I inquired.

"I took your advice," she admitted. "I invited Sasori to a sparring session with his puppets. You said he needed more sun and to relax a bit more, so…"

"Glad to know I made a difference!" I saluted and made the marionette wave at her. "My shisho and I are leaving today. Bye-bye!"

She gave me a kind smile and waved as I exited her home.


	15. Darkness

It's a beautiful day outside.

Birds are singing, flowers are blooming…

On days like these, kids like you…

 ** _Should be burning in hell._**

* * *

"You're leaving everyone behind?"

"That's my plan, yeah," I smiled at him.

He folded his arms. "Konoha is your home."

"Home is where you are wanted," I said. "...To steal a quote from a certain someone."

"You are not wanted here?" He raised a translucent eyebrow.

"I do not belong here," I corrected. "They should not want me here, either. I'm just thinking about what I will do when I leave."

He only sighed and crossed his legs on his tombstone. "But you've spent time with them, haven't you? You told me about all the time you spent listening to them, encouraging them, and caring about them...they'll come after you."

"Nothing they say could possibly make me any less determined to get out of their lives," I replied smoothly. I looked up at the blue, blue sky. "It's like the shinigami king said once. I've been on the other side of the river before. My soul isn't the same as theirs."

He furrowed his brows in worry. "You're still physically just a child...your mental capacity might overwhelm you, okay? And remember, you promised to look after my son."

"When I leave, I will be keeping tabs on him," I promised. "I'll just have him in the care of my little sister."

The soul of the ninja looked around at the vast, flat grassland...all littered with evenly spaced stone markers, and engraved into them was the name and description of every body there. "I'll miss your company, Holly-chan," he gave a little smile. "There's not much an old man can do in the world of the living."

"Maybe I'll come back and visit you," I said thoughtfully. I was on my arms and knees, carving my face from my other life into the ground. "But I'll still be here for a few more years. I like it here. Everybody's so...kind, and caring."

I could feel his solemn gaze on my back as I continued my portrait. He sighed. "I know I can't convince you to stay, but...just make sure that no matter what, your choices make you happy, okay? My son hated me, and when I suicided, he regretted ever shunning me," he gave a dry laugh.

"That's only because your son is a grade A fuckboy," I answered, without missing a beat. I began etching out my familiar brown eyes. "But you can leave him in my care, old man! I personally don't like him, but...I can kind of understand how he feels."

I finished my portrait and signed it with my familiar crown. Queen Holly, was it?

The spirit glanced over to the tombstone in front of his. "That's your father's grave?"

"...I guess, yeah."

"Would he want you to desert Konoha, after being a loyal kunoichi for so long?" He sat down next to me and studied my portrait, tracing his finger along the lines.

"Tou-chan," I began, twirling the kunai between my fingers. "Was a loyal and brave warrior who was unfortunate to have caught a spine disease. He had the Ayato bloodline, too. I'll carry it on for him."

"...But not in Konoha," he finished. I nodded, hissing when I cut myself with the kunai. "Ow, you little…!"

The spirit laughed. "It's the little things," he smiled sadly at me. "Well, I won't stop you, but...try not to die out there, okay? I think of you as my own child."

"Kakashi wouldn't like that," I smiled at my portrait, satisfied that it looked like an actual human and not a blob. "Have a nice, uneventful day, Sakumo-san!"

"You too," he waved at me for a moment, then shimmered and seemed to vaporize into the air.

It was how souls went back to their side.

And pathetic as it may sound, I was lonely without the souls of the dead. They were the only ones who could understand what it was like to lose everything.

"...Yo."

I gave a piglet-worthy squeal and turned around, kunai still in my hand. I put it away when I saw who it was. "Good morning, Kakashi-san. Nice weather, isn't it? Goodbye." I tried to but past him, but his hand landed on my shoulder and squeezed.

Like, squeezed. As in I'll-be-an-S-Rank-ninja-in-the-future squeeze. Any-harder-and-my-bones-will-crack squeeze.

I bit my lip to keep from saying anything stupid. I turned around with a poker face. "What."

"Why were you here for so long?" his eyes studied me suspiciously. "There's a mark on the ground in the shape of your butt."

"And I'm sure you can enjoy fapping to that," I smiled at him. "Now let me go before I scream pedophile."

"But we're the same age-"

I opened my mouth and he immediately released me. "...Fine. Do whatever you want, but…"

"What is it?" I snapped, growing impatient.

Ya know, if anyone were the pedophile, it would have to be you-

My consciousness is siding with the enemy. Wow.

"Uh...what is fapping?" He asked innocently.

Silence.

More silence.

"You'll understand when you get older," I quoted from the old man who resided in the tombstone we had both come here to visit. "Now, bye." I turned around and walked away calmly, although he couldn't see my scowl.

When he gets older, he'll be doing it too...nyeh heh heh…

Shut. Up.

* * *

When I met up with Shikaku, I expected him to drag me to the Hokage's office, grab a mission, and tell me to get ready.

But instead, he dragged me far away from the village and sat us down.

"...So," Shikaku began awkwardly. "I...kind of need your advice."

I smiled evilly. "Of course! Now, I believe assassination with a ketchup bottle isn't the ideal way to go, but-"

He shoved his hand in my face. "Shut up and listen first."

We were just sitting on a random bench on an isolated path.

Come to think of it, this is the path you take to leave the village.

It's where Sakura confessed her feelings for Sasuke.

Huh.

Bad luck here.

He coughed. "Uh...if, say, your birthday was coming up, what would you want?"

I looked at his awkward expression. "A gift for a lover?"

He, and I kid you not, actually blushed. "If you keep this between us…" He glanced around, as if someone were about to ambush us. "Hopefully, soon-to-be lover. But nothing's set in stone yet-"

"That's so cute," I smiled at him and tugged on his ponytail. "But I highly doubt she'll like you."

He gave me a deadpan stare. "...Thanks for the vote of confidence, apprentice."

I laughed. "Don't be such a stick in the mud! Well, what would a grown woman want for her birthday…? What's she like?"

"She's annoying," he said immediately. "She's loud, and has too much energy, and always enforcing rules, and she doesn't know how to slack off, and just...so strict!"

Den y u like her?

"But," he held up a finger at my confused expression. "She's always optimistic, and she never gives up…" he smiled a little. "And she's got this smile...and her laugh, it's just so…"

"...So get her chocolate," I told him.

He sighed. "That's not going to work…"

"It always works!" I insisted. "It's one of the three safest things to get her: roses, chocolates, and stuffed animals."

He closed his eyes. "Stuffed animals might work…" He suddenly stood up with a gleam in his eye. "You did great, Hiromi. Now, I must prepare the gift." He flicked my nose. "Bye."

"Mm!" I protested, but he already shunshin'd away. I sighed and turned to the right, looking at the path that led away from the village.

This is the path you'll take to leave everyone behind.

I know.

But you shouldn't! They like you, and you like them!

But I don't belong here.

It's for the best. We don't deserve to be happy, do we? We weren't the kindest in our previous life.

"What was it?" I mused in English. "It was...something like 'demon'? Or maybe 'monster'...something like that."

 _Maybe they could change you!_

It's true. People can change.

 _So-_

 **But Holly stopped being human a long time ago, when she became a terrorist. And I'll make sure Hiromi will follow in her footsteps.**


	16. Companion

_People who come into this place never come back out. I want you to exterminate all danger from this place._

This is a B rank.

Something so simple was B-ranked.

Well...at least, that's what we thought at first.

When we got there, it looked like any ordinary village from the outside. I immediately tried the lock and found that it locked from the _outside,_ so I was able to open it easily. However, I was scolded for it by Shikaku. _Too hotheaded,_ he said.

There wasn't anyone in sight, but the buildings still looked as new and sturdy as they probably were when they were first built. The small town was bursting with color, but there was no sound except for the strong wind.

It created a mysterious and tense atmosphere. That, combined with something I couldn't put a finger on, put me on edge.

Shikaku looked around. "...Looks fine to me. I don't sense anyone around, no ninja at least...how about you?"

I flared out my chakra, searching for signs of life. I didn't find any. However…

"I can f-feel it."

Shikaku looked down at me, startled. He flared his chakra again. "I don't feel anyone. What are you sensing? A rabbit, maybe?"

 _There's two. A small boy and...maybe his grandma. The grandma's chakra is well refined...an ex-kunoichi?_

 **She reeks of vengeance.**

"There should be lots of corpses somewhere," I decided to reveal, sitting down with my legs crossed and eyes closed. I placed my gloved hands on my knees. "But there's definitely activity around. A retired ninja, maybe. I'm trying to pinpoint their location. Please s-stand guard." I began trying to pinpoint the child's absolute location.

Shikaku checked his surroundings in confusion. "I still don't sense anybody. How do you know this?" Then he seemed to figure it out. "...Ah. I see."

My eyes snapped open in surprise, head jerking up to meet his gaze. "What? What do you know?"

He rubbed his chin, waving it off with his other hand. "I knew your father for a while."

When I realized what he meant, I relaxed and returned to my original position. "Yeah, I get it."

 _He thinks it's part of my kekkei genkai...it's probably best to keep it like this._

When I flared out my chakra, it was something like whale sonar: it hit something and bounced back to me, but the other waves would keep going. It wasn't like it was for others, which was like a circumference of eyes that would go through trees and animals and go straight for people. I'm not sure why mine turned out like this, but if not for this, I wouldn't be able to sense ghosts.

Ghosts have a special chakra: they don't have a physical form, so I can only sense their... _soul,_ or whatever it is that lingers around. The peaceful kind of ghosts can no longer use their chakra, just drift around waiting for whatever they were waiting for until their time was up.

This was not the case.

This ghost, albeit old, was still powerful. If Shikaku were not guarding me, I'm sure she would've attacked me...I'm definitely no match for her.

But the boy…

"The chakra feels w-weird," I observed, voice cracking. Shikaku, who had previously been slouching against a wall, straightened his stance. "How?"

 _How much can I reveal?_

"T-there's...an ex-ninja, for sure, but I think she has a grandchild, or something. There's definitely a third life source too...but it doesn't have a, um...ch-chakra system…?"

Shikaku blinked, probably in surprise, flaring his chakra out yet again. "...Now that you mention it, I feel something…" He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again. "There's a child. And a...dog. Their chakra systems are not trained, which explains why I had a hard time finding them." He knelt down to ruffle my hair. "You did good, kid." He got back up and stretched. "Well, let's go find them."

I'm not a kid, I wanted to retort.

But I smiled anyways, my heartbeat speeding up happily at the praise.

 _He's told you this so many times and you're still smiling about it? You really are a kid..._

My smile melted back into my normal stoic expression as I followed after Shikaku.

* * *

We located the dog quickly: a gold Shiba Inu. It was obvious she must've been well trained and gorgeous in her prime, with her thick, soft fur and strong leg muscles. She'd been left in an old shed that had been painted an obnoxious orange.

It was also obvious that she was elderly, and severely ill.

The boy, presumably her owner, was nowhere to be found in her vicinity. Sensing him, I found that he was running around, probably hiding from us.

As soon as we found the dog, I knelt down next to her, who seemed to be barely breathing. "This is terrible…! Who would leave her here like this?"

…" **What's the strongest force in the world?"**

 _Huh?_

The voice stayed silent.

 _...Gravity?_

The dog yelped, and I redirected my attention to it. Shikaku knelt next to me and felt the dog's body, something I didn't understand until he said, "She doesn't have long left to live."

My wide eyes drooped. "...Oh."

Shikaku looked to me for a moment, seemingly feeling awkward now that I was suddenly depressed, before giving me a noogie. "Cheer up, kid!"

I gripped onto his arm, trying to pull him off to no avail. "H-how _can_ I, in a situation like this?!"

He got up, arm still around my neck, successfully lifting me off the ground. "Well, what can we do but pray? We'll pray that the boy's reason for leaving his dog is valid, or he'll have _hell_ to pay."

His statement _did_ console me a bit. "...Yeah, okay."

He gave a small grin and lowered me back onto the ground. "Let's split up to find him, then-"

Before he could run off, I grabbed onto his jacket. He looked down at me, confused. "...What's wrong, Hiro-chan?"

"Th-there's.." I tried to tell him about the old lady. "I-I can't go…b-because…"

His eyes softened for a moment, then he gave a reassuring smile and rested his hand on my head. "It's okay to be nervous, Hiro. You're strong. You can do this. Summon one of your cats if you feel scared, okay? I'll go east." With that, he flickered away, leaving me on my own.

I touched the top of my head where his hand rested a short moment ago.

Suddenly, it felt really cold, even though I'd never been bothered by it.

 _I wonder why._

* * *

I headed west alone, like he told me. He said I was strong. That I would be fine. That it's _okay_ to be nervous.

I, believing in him, went full sprint ahead, trying to find the boy whose chakra signature seemed to be everywhere now. I suddenly understood why we had to go in opposite directions: so we had more chances of meeting him, since we didn't have his exact location.

I knew that I had no chance of finding the boy on my own, since I was extremely paranoid from the atmosphere in this town. I quickly began to form the handsigns for the summoning jutsu when a little boy appeared before me.

I blinked in surprise. "...Hmm?"

He looked around _five,_ and definitely too young to be so beaten and bruised, living alone with his sick dog in a ghost town.

"...My name is Ayato Hiromi," I introduced myself, getting down on one knee, right hand over my heart. "I'm a shinobi of Konoha."

He seemed to convulse at that statement. "Shinobi…" His brightly colored eyes suddenly went blank, turning into a dull grey. "Shinobi…!" He lunged at me with a kunai in his hand, aiming for my chest.

I quickly dodged, stepping onto a wall before jumping on a rooftop. He followed quickly. "Shinobi…shinobi...shinobi…!"

 _Fuck's sake_

Well, he's definitely not trained...so where _is_ this sudden energy coming from?

I suddenly understood why the village was empty, why there was a strong vengeful ghost, why the gates were locked from the outside. This boy probably killed his whole village, and continues to kill whoever enters and then hides. The gates were locked from the outside to keep him _in._

"...Who are you?" I called out unconfidently. His aura was murderous. Then, he suddenly flicked right in front of me and attempted to attack with a katana.

 _Did he pull that out of his ass or something_

Yeah...where _did_ he get that? I scanned him quickly, seeing no visible weapon pouches or backpacks where he could've kept such a large weapon, or any weapons at all.

 _Maybe he's got a sealing scroll somewhere, but he's definitely not trained...where did he get the skill?_

I continued to dodge his katana, studying his face closely. His eyes were full of hatred.

 _Oh...oh shit shit shit! He's prolly possessed by the granny! That's why he's so angry! RUN!_

My yes widened in realization, and the boy seemed to notice too. He pulled out _another_ bloody out of nowhere and began attacking even faster.

"That speed can't be good for his muscles…" I murmured to myself as I ran away from him.

 _Lolol he's dual wielding...he's Kirito lolz_

"Not the time," I bit my lip as one of his blades actually managed to graze my arm. Not deep enough to be dangerous, but deep enough to hurt a _lot._

"Shi-shisho…" I remembered that I had a trained, well-experienced jonin with me here. I also realized that there was no way for me to reach him.

I tried to run faster, and quickly realized that I was at my limit. I'd be killed by the kid really soon if I didn't find something.

 **...Go to the shed, you stupid girl.**

 _The shed? Why?_

 **Jin's waiting for you.**

Still confused, I continued running, and the orange shed came into view.

 _...His dog! The dog might calm down down or something!_

This is the last chance I have of surviving, I suddenly comprehended everything I was told despite the adrenaline confusing my thought process.

"Shed, dog, Jin, comfort, _safety_ ," I summarized. Although I was at my limit, I began to run even faster to try and reach the shed on time. My arm and sides burned, but I continued on because my life was on the line.

It was fight or flight.

I was too scared to fight for it, so I committed to flight, and at the last moment, right before I made it into the shed, he flickered in front of me.

His blank face morphed into a haunting smile. "...That other guy is coming for you right now...so let's finish this." He lifted a blade, teeth showing.

I was too exhausted to move. I blacked out, the last thing I saw was the child standing over me, katana in hand. The other one had disappeared again.

"Good night, onee-chan...hehehe!"

* * *

When I woke up, I was standing...on? My body. Confused, I knelt down, reaching out to touch myself, but my hand passed through my body.

 _Hi!_

I shot up, hand instinctively reaching for a weapon, but there was no weapon pouch. Instead, there was a gun holster on my leg. Gripping it, I felt confused. "...A gun?"

 _What's that?_

I looked toward the sound of the melodious voice, finding there a dog. "A dog?"

She bent down and shook her rear in the air. _That's rude! I have a name...my name's Jin! What's yours?_

I ran my left hand through my long, dark hair. "...Queen Holly."

She leaned her head toward the side. _Queen Holly? Never heard a name like that before...you look different from your body, you know? Is this what you'll look like when you grow up?_

I smiled and shook my head. "No, this is who I used to be."

Jin woofed happily. _This is what I used to look like too! Aren't I beautiful?_ She shook out her luscious pelt. _But I have to tell you something: that there's my boy!_ She gestured her head towards the boy, who was petting her physical form, which was licking his hands in return. _His name's Ryota! He's three. You like him?!_

I rolled my eyes, beginning return my pistol to its holster. "Hardly. He tried to kill me."

She paced in place. _Please don't say that…_

"That was me."

At the sound of a new voice, I instantly stood erect, both hands on my weapon and pointing it towards the source of the sound. "State your name and business"

The old lady raised a grey eyebrow. "...There's no need for violence. I'm Jin's friend." She kneeled next to Jin and started scratching behind her ears. My gun followed her head. "And that's my grandson."

I smirked. "So I was right. You're the other ghost. Ex-shinobi, right?"

She looked up at me, eyes narrowing with hostility. "Put away the weapon first, whatever that is."

I hesitated.

Jin whimpered. _Please?_

Meeting her eyes, I slowly retreated my gun into its holster on my right leg. I sat down, legs crossed and leaned forward slightly. "Why were you two killing the people who entered this town?"

The old lady laughed. "They were asking for it. Tryna steal things from Ryota's village...this place is all he has, ya know? When you two showed up, I was just trying to protect him and Jin."

I leaned back, sitting up straight. "...Okay. If I promise you that they'll be safe, will you stop haunting this place?"

She nodded.

"I promise to protect Jin and Ryota," I promised.

She started fading, hand on Jin's head and loving gaze directed at the tiny Ryota. "...Guess my time with Ryuu's up…" She turned her gaze back to me, managing a happy smile. "I know they're in good hands. Thank you."

She disappeared.

Jin yelped, getting up and pacing to me, nuzzling herself into my hands. I started ruffling the fur around her neck.

 _I don't have much time left either, Queen Holly,_ she looked up to me with earnest eyes. _I'm tired._

I held her thin, strong-jawed face in my hands. "I promised your companion that I'd protect you two...I'm not one to lie to old people."

She barked happily. _I knew you were a good person! But I'll be happier with her. I know Ryuu witl be safe with you! So...can you take care of him? Please?_

What else could I say?

"I promise I'll take good care of Ryuu," I swore again. She stuck out her tongue, smiling as much as a dog could as she, too, began to fade. _Thank you, Queen Holly!_

"No problem," I returned her smile.

Now I couldn't feel her soft fur in my hands anymore.

 _Oh, by the way!_ She backed up, looking at me. _Ryuu has a habit of turning his body into sharp thingys! So, be careful with him okay! Never leave him alone, or he might hurt someone!_ She whimpered again. _Then he'll cry…_ She flattened her ears. _Please don't let that happen…_

"...I won't."

She began backing up. _Thank you again...agh! I'm SOOO TIRED!_ She jumped once, paws touching the ground for the last time. _I can sleep now that Ryuu's with you…_

Then Jin was gone too.

I sat there in silence for a moment. "...Jin, grandma...I'll protect your boy in your stead."

The silence was broken by Ryuu wailing as Jin's body went limp in his arms.

"...Well, I guess I shouldn't torture Shikaku, leaving him to comfort a crying child…"


	17. Time

Apparently, there were actually people living in the village, and now that the ghosts were at peace, they could resume their lives there.

Great?

Not so great.

So now I had two little kids to worry about.

Mom was out of the village again...she's hardly ever home anyways, but it'd be nice to have someone who could actually deal with kids.

A little four-year-old girl, Sayuri, who could manipulate mass.

And a little three-year-old boy, who could turn his body parts into weapons.

It was really annoying, since I have two voices in my head already...now there's two little kids who are attached to me at the hip.

I have no obligation towards Sayuri, but now we're legally sisters and she's emotionally attached to me. No more as her prince, but as her nee-chan.

And Ryota…

He's a _tsundere_ , or sorts, but more _dere_ than _tsun_. He's sort of the opposite of Sayuri, though. He was extremely shy around others, to the point where he'll silently beg me to carry him so he can bury his face in my clothes, but he's very affectionate when he's with me and Sayu.

On the other hand, Sayu was loud, cheerful, obnoxious, and kind everywhere. The two children were quickly loved by everyone who they came into contact with. Ryuu came into contact with significantly less people, since I didn't have time to go everywhere with him, and Sayu had been in Konoha longer than he had. He also seemed to have a little rivalry with Hayate for my affection, despite their 4-year age difference.

It has only been a week since he has come into Konoha.

He and Sayu are getting along pretty well, though, so I had no reason to worry until a dangerous thought struck me one morning.

 _Won't Danzo want them once he finds out their powers? And yours isn't too shabby either…_

I almost dropped the pancakes I was flipping, but I managed to keep my composure for the sake of the children sat behind me. _Well, he won't, will he? I mean, unless someone told him...but I could get help from an adult! Who will I ask...not Shikaku, he's not very understanding about keeping secrets from the Hokage...not mom, obviously...oh!_

"Namikaze Minato!" I exclaimed out of the blue. Ryuu flinched from the sudden interruption of a serene morning. "Hiro-nee?"

I finished putting the food on plates and put them in front of the kids. "Here you go, you can just put the dishes in the sink after you're done...if you can't reach it, then just leave them here. Nee-chan's got somewhere to go, okay?" I hurried to grab my things before ruffling Ryuu's hair and giving Sayu a kiss on the forehead. "Don't cause any trouble. Feel free to leave the house or play with Aki-nii-chan!" I ran out the door and slammed it behind me.

There was a short silence.

Ryota pouted. "...Why didn't she kiss _my_ forehead?"

Sayu grinned victoriously. "Nee-chan likes _me_ better!"

Ryota pouted even further, moping as he stabbed his pancakes with his fork. "Not fair…"

* * *

I ran through the streets of Konoha, trying to find his chakra signature, putting bobby pins in my bangs as I went. "Rin-chan mentioned she'd be free today...please let that go for her team too…"

Eventually, I found him, but it was by pure luck since he seemed to be running a few errands. He was probably just teleporting everywhere, making me run everywhere looking for him.

 _I ran my ass off pls let me catch him_

I finally caught sight of him, and exhausted, I just flared my chakra. He looked in my direction, alarmed, and ran to me and caught me before my tired body hit the ground. "Oh my goodness, Hiromi-chan! Are you okay!?"

I coughed. "I-I'm fine...just r-ran _everywhere_ looking f-for you…" I coughed again. He gave a small, relieved laugh. "Oh...I'm glad you're safe. I was just finishing up anyways, let's go somewhere afterwards!"

* * *

We ended up at Kushina's house, where she made us tea and sat down with us. Minato and I sat across from each other at the low, square table, while she sat on my left. "Welcome, dattebane!"

 _Not what I had in mind...but Kushina wouldn't tell anyone. She's reliable and stubborn._

"I-I have something important I need help w-with." I blew on the cup of tea before taking a sip. _Nice temperature._

Minato smiled warmly. "Go ahead and tell us, Hiromi-chan. We'll be glad to help with whatever it is." Kushina gave a sunny grin to encourage me to start speaking. I suddenly felt shy, beginning to fidget. I played with my hands that were in my lap, keeping my gaze there.

"It has s-something to do with...m-my little siblings…" I managed to say.

I looked up, seeing Kushina's confused look and Minato's of understanding. She spoke first. "I didn't know you had little siblings!"

Minato answered for me. "They're not biological: Sayuri, and recently Ryota, are children she found on missions and took home."

Kushina seemed to understand, meeting my eyes with soft ones. "You're kinder than you seem, Hiromi-chan…"

I blushed under their warm gazes. "Th-thank you…"

 _Shyness is a burden…_

 **A Queen does not stutter.**

I sat up a bit straighter and took another sip of tea. "They...they m-might be in danger. My sixth sense t-tells me so."

 _That's an improvement! Yay! I'm mentally clapping for you!_

"How so?" Minato seemed more alert all of a sudden, and Kushina leaned a bit closer to me. "Tell us!"

I blushed harder, and Minato put a hand on her shoulder signaling for her to give me some space. She nodded, allowing me to continue.

"D-do you know about the...the Ayato kekkei genkai?" They both nodded. Minato elaborated, "Yes, it's extremely rare...and you may be the last one in the world to have it, Hiromi-chan. What about it? Do they have it too?"

I shook my head profusely. "No! Well, not m-mine, but they _do_ have rare kekkei genkai…"

The blond's eyes suddenly hardened. "Wait a moment." He excused himself and left the room. I watched after him, worried and confused.

"It's okay, Hiromi-chan," Kushina put a soothing hand on my head and stroked my hair. "He's probably just making sure the silencing seals are working fine."

"O-okay," I stammered. Minato soon returned and I continued.

"Sayu can change mass...when she w-was upset, the room started shrinking. She can't control it. And Ryota can turn h-his body...into _weapons._ H-he can't control it either, b-but they're always fine with me, and w-with Aki, so…" I realized what I was saying would make them seem dangerous and tried to defend them, but Minato shook his head. "No, Hiromi-chan, I understand. So you're afraid people might try to hunt them?"

I nodded.

"But, Hiromi-chan...did you know _you're_ in the same situation as them, dattebane?" Kushina inquired gently.

I blinked. Then I looked back and forth between the lovers.

They were completely serious.

"E-eh?" I started playing with my hands again. "Hiromi...is being hunted?"

Minato was quick to calm me down. "No, no, Hiromi-chan, you're safe! So are your little siblings, but...you need to be more careful, okay? That's why you were pulled out of the academy as soon as possible so Shikaku could protect you...and we're glad you told us about your siblings. I'll tell the Hokage-"

"No!" I slammed my hand on the table, standing up.

The teacups and kettle shook a bit.

The adults were still from shock, Minato still holding his teacup halfway to his mouth.

"N-not the Hokage," I sat down, surprised by my own actions. "I'm a-already in danger...telling him about my siblings would just put them in even _more_ danger. Please…"

Kushina took my hand. "Hiromi-chan...your siblings will be safer with the Hokage's protection, okay?"

I gripped her hand tighter and shook my head rapidly. "No, no, no...he-he'll tell his council...a-and then...D-Danzo…" My heart started beating erratically. Minato actually stood up. "Hiromi-chan!"

Kushina drew me into a hug. "Hiromi-chan, you'll be okay…!"

"Please, please, pleasepleaseplease don't tell…" I didn't return her hug, not letting go of her hand. "Please...promise...both of you…"

"We promise," they said in unison. I stopped shaking, and Kushina began stroking my back. "We won't tell...we'll protect you…"

I took deep breaths and let go of her hand, backing away from her. "O-okay…" My heart sank in shame when I saw the red finger marks I had made on her pale hand.

Minato, now next to me, turned me around to face him. "Hiromi-chan...we understand your concerns. We'll discuss how you know this on another day, okay? When you're more calm. Kushina and I have a lot of things to think about. Try not to leave your siblings alone anymore. Bring them along to visit Rin, okay? I'm sure she'll be happy to see you guys."

* * *

Following Minato's suggestion, I brought Sayu and Ryota with me to the hospital and asked for Nobara Rin.

"Hiro-chan!" Rin glomped me, not noticing my lifelessness. She did, though, after she got off me. "...Hiro-chan?"

For her sake, I tried a weak grin. "...Yo."

She frowned cutely. "You don't have any energy...are you okay? And we rarely both have the same day off…" She took my hands in her slightly smaller ones and started swinging them. "Let's go somewhere more fun!"

* * *

She ended up gathering Aki, Obito, and Kakashi too as she brought us all to a sunny, empty meadow. It was wide and its boundaries seemed interminable, filled with bright, lush grasses and flowers.

"Let's all play together!" Sayu cheered. Ryota was clinging on to my leg with one hand, fidgeting with his shirt with the other.

"Boys, that's your job," Rin ordered. Aki visibly deflated. "Ehhhh? I wanna play with Hiromi~" He reached towards me and grabbed the air like a baby would.

"Go." Rin ordered again, and the others knew better than to disobey her. I gently nudged Ryota towards Sayu, and he looked up at me, worry in his eyes. I smiled at him, and he reluctantly let go of me and grabbed Sayu's outstretched hand. "See you later, nee-chan!" she said loudly, before dragging him to the others who were waiting.

Rin sat me down next to her. I was leaned on my elbows, looking at the sky, while she leaned on her hands, looking down at me. "Hiro-chan...what's wrong?"

I gave a lazy smile. "Nothin', Rin...just tired. Your sensei and his girlfriend helped me out today and I'm drained…"

She looked confused. "Helped? With what? Training?" We looked towards the others, who seemed to be trying to catch butterflies, and failing. Rin smiled. "So cute…"

"I hate butterflies," I mentioned offhandedly, and she gasped dramatically. "How could you?!"

I shrugged as much as I could in my position. "Pretty, but they're bugs in the end...like big, flying roaches." I returned my gaze to the sky. Rin made a disgusted expression. "Ew...you ruined butterflies for me!"

I gave a weak laugh. "Imagine butterflies without color; just a dark shell like a roach. SInce their exterior beauty is gone, you no longer want to watch it fly...you just want to either kill it, or run away from it."

"Ewww! Stopppp!" She whined, lightly hitting my arm. "You're so pessimistic, Hiro-chan...are you sure you're okay? There's nothing you want to talk about?"

I rolled my eyes playfully and dropped onto my back, hands behind my head. "I've spoken enough to your sensei and his girlfriend...let's just sit here for a while."

Rin and me, watching the clouds together on a partly cloudy day.

Kakashi, Obito, Aki, and my little siblings stumbling over each other as they all laughed and had fun.

Kushina and Minato backing me up on the whole Danzo thing.

A nice, big meadow covered with grasses and flowers as far as the eye could see.

It was a perfect scenario.

 **Don't forget your objective, Queen Holly…**

 _...I won't._


End file.
